Families of Eaton Centre shooting victims say they remain fearful after attack

Grieving relatives of two men gunned down in a daytime shooting at Toronto’s Eaton Centre said Tuesday they still struggle to cope with their loss seven years after the attack.

In 2015, Christopher Husbands was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of two counts of second-degree murder for killing two men and wounding several others in the mall food court in 2012.

He then had a second trial in which he was convicted of two counts of manslaughter in February. Manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for seven years.

Husbands then launched an appeal and was awarded another trial.

Relatives of Ahmed Hassan, 24, and Nixon Nirmalendran, 22, described the lasting trauma caused by the pair’s deaths at a sentencing hearing for Christopher Husbands, who was convicted of manslaughter in the June 2, 2012 mall shooting earlier this year.

“Everyone will say that my son was bad but for me it was not like that,” Nirmalendran’s mother, Vigneswary Nirmalendran, said in a statement read aloud by prosecutors.

Nixon Nirmalendran was the oldest son, the caregiver in the family, the one who took his ailing father to the doctor and his younger brothers to their graduations, she said.

Friends and relatives blamed her and Nirmalendran’s father after his death, and that led to feelings of isolation, particularly after their second son was fatally shot the following year, she said.

“I live only for my youngest son now,” she said.

Nirmalendran’s fiancee, Donika Morgan, told the court in a written statement that their now six-year-old son “fears for his life,” believing he will meet the same fate as his father. The boy, who was born months after Nirmalendran’s death, has also missed out on the chance to know his father, she said.

Hassan’s sisters described their sibling as a quiet and caring young man whose death has left a “gaping hole” in their lives. His cousin, Shukri Mohamed, said the family believes Husbands remains a threat to the public.

Connor Stevenson was 13-years-old when he was shot in the head during the attack. He managed to survive, but continues to suffer from brain damage.

His father, Craig Stevenson’s statement explained the long lasting scars his family is left with after the shooting, both mental and physical.

“Christopher Husbands has inflicted a life sentence of pain and suffering on my son Connor, my daughter Taylor and their mother Jo-Anne, myself and many other victims,” he said. “No child should have to wear a helmet to his grade eight graduation because half his skull is missing.”

Connor’s mother Jo-Anne Finney added in her statement that the extent of his injuries mean “a hit to his head again would likely mean certain death.”

She added that she felt “marginalized” by how her son’s injury was treated by the justice system and the lack of importance the life-altering incident was awarded.

WATCH: Outside court, Finney said she is “frustrated” the voices of the shooting victims haven’t played a larger role in Husbands’ second trial.

In his statement, Connor also expressed his disappointment with the justice system, saying “the victim is not the main focus” in the trial process and the “charges do not really equate to the damage he has caused me.”

He went on to detail the “excruciating pain” he lives with everyday and the complete lack of normalcy since the day he was injured.

“I will never be able to lead a normal life because a selfish man decided that his personal vendetta outweighed the lives of everyone in the mall,” he said. “I am changed forever because of the shooter at the Eaton Centre.”