The Yonge Street van attack in Toronto: 1 week later - Action News
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Toronto

The Yonge Street van attack in Toronto: 1 week later

Toronto attempts to regain a sense of normalcy one week after the driver of a white rented van plowed into pedestrians, leaving 10 dead and 16 wounded.

10 people were killed in north Toronto last Monday when a white van drove into pedestrians

A mourner pays respects at a makeshift memorial on Yonge Street after a van attacked multiple people in Toronto. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Toronto is attemptingto regain a sense of normalcy one week after the driver of a white rented van plowed into pedestrians, leaving 10 dead and 16 wounded.

The attack brought parts of Yonge Street in suburban North York to a halt as businesses, roads and some subway stations were closed whilepolice began a lengthy investigation.
One resident, Pouria Fakhraei, saidit took time for the community to return to normal. Immediately aftermath the attack, not many people were on the street,but that began to change by the end of the week, Fakhraeisaid.
Resident Pouria Fakhraei says there weren't many people on the street in the immediate aftermath of the attack, but that soon changed by the end of the week. (CBC)

"People are still walking around because they know that they can't let fear control their life. It's just we can't let that happen. The second we show that has happened, as a community, we've failed."

Fakhraeiadded: "We'll stay strong. We will support each other and we will get through this, and we will show that an incident like this will not crumble us."

Thousands take part in vigil

Services and visitationsfor three of the attack victims took place Monday, including for Invesco employee Anne Marie D'Amicoand single motherRenuka Amarasingha.

Sohe Chung's visitation also held Monday was supposed to be private but the family agreed to make it public because many wanted to attend.

The 22-year-old was studying science at theUniversity of Toronto.

Others paid their respectsSunday night at a large multi-faith vigil in north Toronto. Thousands converged on Mel Lastman Square, just steps away from where the scene of the attack.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Gov. Gen. JuliePayetteand Ontario Premier KathleenWynnewere among the people in attendance.

MelissaKabatasdaravarsaid she went to the vigil because coming together as a community is important.

"It's very healing, it's very powerful to be together. It is really a reclaiming of the streets," she said. "I think something really significant happened. We can move on, but we can't forget."

Areas close to the attack scenehave been blanketed with a growing memorial of flowers, handwritten posters and candles.

Names of victims released

On Friday, officials released the names of the eight women and two men who died. They ranged in age from 22 to 94, and included a student from South Korea and a man from Jordan.

The accused driver, Alek Minassian, 25, has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder. He will be charged with three more counts of attempted murder at his next court appearance.

10 individual pictures are shown of people killed in the 2018 Toronto van attack.
The 10 people killed in the van attack. Top row, from left to right: Anne Marie D'Amico, 30, Dorothy Sewell, 80, Renuka Amarasingha, 45, Munir Najjar, 85, Chul Min (Eddie) Kang, 45, Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Forsyth, 94, Sohe Chung, 22, Andrea Bradden, 33, Geraldine Brady, 83, Ji Hun Kim, 22. (CBC)

On April 23, police have alleged, Minassian rented a cargo van, posted a cryptic message on Facebook, and moments later, drove down Yonge Street.

Minassian's alleged Facebook post alludes to incel, a misogynistic online group whose members identifyas "involuntarily celibates" because no one is willing to have sex with them.

Thousands gather for vigil to honour van attack victims in north Toronto

6 years ago
Duration 0:47
Aerial footage of the crowd prior to the start of Sunday's vigil at Mel Lastman Square

Police have said their investigation is taking the post into account.

With those revelations, some in the community have been left wondering how to support others to prevent similar incidents.

"I think this is a lesson for all of us that we need to be with each other, we need to spend time with each other, and I'm sure that will happen," said residentArashAbadpour.

With files from CBC News and The Canadian Press