At least 10 people were killed and 15 others were injured when a white rental van jumped onto the sidewalk of a busy Toronto intersection, sped down the road, and mowed down multiple victims in the way.
Alek Minassian, the 25-year-old suspect, was arrested and identified by police shortly after the attack. Police said the crash “definitely looked deliberate” but maintained that the motive was unknown.
Prior to the attack, Minassian posted a cryptic Facebook message that praised Elliot Rodger, a man who killed six people in California in 2014.
Here’s what we know about the people who were killed and injured in the attack. We will update the list as we know more.
Anne Marie D'Amico
Friend of Anne-Marie D'Amico paid tribute to her in a social media post: 'A senseless act resulted in the loss of a star today. The world will be [a] little less bright without you in it.' pic.twitter.com/kssyt1MJpW
— CBC News Alerts (@CBCAlerts) April 24, 2018
D'Amico was the first victim to be identified in Canadian press. She worked for Invesco, an investment management firm that had offices on Yonge Street, where the white van sped down during the attack.
D'Amico's family told CBC News in a statement:
"She genuinely wanted to care for all those around her even if it meant sacrificing a portion of herself in return for others' happiness. She only had kindness in her.
"Her name has been broadcast around the world, attached to this terrible tragedy. But we want everyone to know that she embodied the definition of altruism."
Toronto's tennis community also paid tribute to D'Amico, who spent her summers volunteering at the city's annual Rogers Cup.
Canadian tennis player wrote on Instagram: "Anne-Marie helped make the Rogers Cup the great event it is, and she will be truly missed."
Dorothy Sewell
Sewell, 80, was confirmed by her grandson to be one of the victims of the attack, according to CBC.
Sewell was a longtime employee at Sears and an avid Toronto sports fan.
"She loved her Maple Leafs, she loved her Blue Jays," Elwood Delaney, Sewell's grandson, said. "I don't think she ever missed a Blue Jays game."
Renuka Amarasinghe
Single mother Renuka Amarasinghe killed in Toronto van attack https://t.co/SAMYkNOyFL
— DawnCuthbertson (@DawnCuthbertson) April 25, 2018
Amarasinghe worked for the Toronto District School Board was killed in the attack, her colleagues confirmed on Facebook.
The Sri Lankan native was a single mother to seven-year-old Diyon. A GoFundMe page been set up to raise money for Diyon.
Asoka Pinnaduwage, who knew Amarasinghe and her son, told Global News: "She has no other relative in Canada, other than her ex-husband."
Chul Min 'Eddie' Kang
#Breaking: The owner of Copacabana restaurant has confirmed that chef Chul Min “Eddie” Kang was one of the victims killed in Monday’s van rampage. “His smile would always light up the room,” said Michael Rudan. https://t.co/277djVuDJk pic.twitter.com/rulQV7siYQ
— TorontoStar (@TorontoStar) April 25, 2018
Chul Min "Eddie" Kang was identified as a victim of the attack. Kang was a chef at a restaurant in downtown Toronto, according to CTV News.
"He will be deeply missed by all who knew him," a statement from Copacabana Brazilian Steakhouse said.
Munir Abdo Habib al-Najar
Munir Abdo Habib al-Najar, a native of Jordan, was identified as a victim.
He was visiting one of his children in Toronto, according to the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Two unnamed South Koreans died, and one was injured.
Two South Korean nationals died and one was seriously injured in the attack, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday, citing government officials in Seoul.
The government has contacted the victims' families and have dispatched consular staff to local hospitals and police stations to find out more information about its citizens, Yonhap added.
One female college student
A female student attending Seneca College in Toronto was killed in the attack, according to a statement from the college.
"The Seneca community is deeply saddened by the horrific attack on Yonge Street yesterday," the statement said. "Our thoughts are with all those affected, including the family and friends of one of our students who died as a result of the tragic incident."
A total of 15 people were injured and taken to the hospital.
Amaresh Tesfamariam, a nurse, is critically injured.
Toronto nurse Amaresh Tesfamariam is in critical condition after being injured during the van rampage in north Toronto, nephew says https://t.co/mxJXvFniLc pic.twitter.com/6zm3CW1vjY
— HuffPost Canada (@HuffPostCanada) April 25, 2018
Tesfamariam is in critical condition and has spinal damage, her nephew Menab Tesfu said.
He told Canada's Global News TV channel:
"She's a single woman [and] has no kids. She works every day.
"She's a self-made woman. So it's really hard to see something like this could happen to her."
Tesfu also set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for his aunt's treatment.
Authorities named, besides Tesfamariam, 12 other people who were injured in the attack.
They are:
- Sammantha Samson
- Samantha Peart
- Morgan McDougall
- Mavis Justino
- Catherine Riddell
- Aleksandra Kozhevinikova
- Amir Kiumarsi
- Yunsheng Tian
- Jun Seok Park
- So Ra
- Beverly Smith
- Robert Anderson
