A reluctant hero, grieving families- both part of a tragic story after a man in a rental van mowed down pedestrians in Toronto.
When it was all over, ten people were dead, 13 injured in the incident on Monday.
The rampage may be over, but the grieving for all the victims, including at least three Asian families, will continue for some time.
Among those fatalities that have been identified are Soho Chung, 23;Renuka Amarasinghe, 48; and Chul Min Eddie Kang,
The police officer being hailed as a hero for arresting the suspect is Ken Lam.
The Toronto Police Officer confronted the suspect who seemed to be encouraging Lam to shoot him, but instead of firing, Lam calmed the suspect and arrested Alek Minassian, 25, without further incident.
Authorities have not allowed Lam to speak to the media, but Deputy Police Chief Peter Yuen, said this about Lam to USA Today.
“He wants to thank the public, and he wants the public not to call him a hero,” Yuen said. “He’s officer Ken Lam. He’s real. He’s got a badge. He’s not a hero. We all came to work to do the right thing and that’s why all of us became police officers.”
According to Newsweek, Minassian can be heard yelling “Kill me.”
Minassian warns Lam that he has a gun in his pocket, but Lam responds “I don’t care.” Lam approaches the suspect and that’s when the suspect gives himself up by lying facedown on the ground while he is being handcuffed.
According to the Star, Sohe Chung is a student at the University of Toronto.
“She’s an amazing friend and everyone did love her. Everyone is absolutely in shock,” said high school friend Cora Cianni.
Renuka Amarasinghe is a single mother of a seven year old who worked at the Toronto School District as a nutritionist.
“She (was) a very kind and generous lady. She devoted her time for the child,” said Ahangama Rathanasiri Thero of the Toronto Mahavihara Buddhist Meditation Centre in Scarborough. “She made the effort to raise that child in a good manner.”
A Go Fund Me page set up for the child has raised $282,000.
Chul Ming Eddie Kang worked at a Brazilian steak house. He was preparing to open an affiliated Peruvian restaurant.
“This was his station,” Milan Kalkan, the Copacabana general manager said Wednesday evening, on a tour of the now empty restaurant. “This was all Eddie. His passion was in the kitchen.”
Kang was described as a generous father figure
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