A little over a week after the events of the Eaton Centre shooting, a second victim -- 22-year-old Nixon Nirmalendran -- has died from his wounds, the second casualty of the alleged gunman, Christopher Husbands. From the Toronto Star:

Nixon Nirmalendran, who was fighting for his life since the Eaton Centre shooting on June 2, died from his injuries Monday night.

Nirmalendran, 22, was gunned down along with Ahmed Hassan, 24, in the mall’s food court. The attack left him in grave condition with bullet wounds to his neck and chest.

The alleged shooter, 23-year-old Christopher Husbands, is currently charged with one count of first-degree murder, for Hassan’s death, and six counts of attempted murder.

So basically, two people are dead, numerous more are injured, and because . . . What? Bruised egos? I know going into a blind fury won't actually do anything to make the situation better, but still, this is kind of a complete crock of shit.

Last week was kind of a doozy. Somewhere between people getting high and eating each other's faces, twinks brutally murdering people for the sake of fame and attention, and alleged gang members shooting each other in public places, it kind of looked for a second like things might be getting permanently fucked.

Thankfully, not so much the case. Turns out there is no zombie apocalypse -- just a fractured mental-healthcare system. I'm not sure if that's any better or worse. Luka Magnotta has been apprehended by police and is awaiting his murder trial, and a suspect in the shooting at the Eaton Centre that killed one and wounded seven has been brought into custody and charged.

Admittedly, this doesn't really solve the problem, but at the very least, it's a step toward normalcy. While we still have to wait and see if the convictions actually stand up in court, for the time being it sends a pretty straightforward message: there are still systems of check and balance in place to keep things from ever veering too far into anarchy and chaos. 

It's hard to do one good thing, that, sadly, goes unnoticed. And it's easy to do one horrible thing that will get everyone's attention.

A day after the events of the Toronto Eaton Centre shooting, the shopping mall is still closed down, community vigils have been organized, and media are trying very hard to put together the details of what happened.

Thus far, one person has been declared dead, and of the seven injured, two remain in critical to critical-but-stable condition, the latter of which is a 13-year-old boy. There are currently rumours circulating that the deceased, as well as one of the injured, had gang affiliations, but so far that's been unconfirmed. A graphic from the National Post breaks down the damage. (Side note: I really have to give credit to the NP's graphics department; they're pretty consistently wonderful.)

They're also running an interview with a man who was in the food court when the shooting started. He provides a description of the shooter, although admittedly, he casts something of a wide net when discussing the age:

"He was black, he looked 20 to 40 years old. He was wearing a light-brown coat. He had what looked like short dreadlocks."

Once again, not the greatest description, but chances are, when you're running with your son away from a crazed gunner, remembering facial features is pretty far removed from your priorities.

Anyway, I know I shouldn't have to say this, but if you have any information, for god's sake go to the police. But for now, the best everyone not directly affected by the incident can do is to try and return to normalcy. 

If you hadn't yet heard (and really, how have you not heard about this?) Dundas Square and the Eaton Centre are currently shut down after an unidentified assailant opened fire in the food court in the shopping centre. Here is what we know so far (as of 8:17pm):

• Someone opened fire in the Eaton Centre's food court at 6:30pm. The mall has been evacuated and emergency services are on the scene.
• So far there are two confirmed injuries, one of which was a 13-year-old boy, although there are reports going around that as many as six were physically harmed during the assault.
• Sources say that between seven and eight shots were fired in the food court.
• The subway between Bloor and Union is closed.
• One pregnant woman, who was initially believed to be injured, has gone into labour. 
• Rob Ford is en route to the shooting, which . . . well, it's noble I guess, although to be honest, I have no idea what he's planning on doing. Godspeed, I guess?
• Below is an image posted to Blue Jays' player Brett Lawrie's Twitter account. Lawrie was reportedly in the Eaton Centre at the time of the attack.

UPDATED - 11:30pm

• The number of people injured from the shooting has been confirmed at seven, and one person has been confirmed dead.
• Rob Ford showed up at 9:30pm to support the police. Thanks, I guess?
• Andrea Houston sent me this link, inviting people to a community vigil, which will be held Sunday, June 3 at 6pm at Dundas Square.