For minutes, it was just the clanging of the bells, the pattering of rain and the quiet lull of the fountain at Alexander the Great Parkette.

At sundown Monday night, mourners packed the square at the heart of a busy stretch of Danforth known as Greektown, some holding candles and wiping away tears as they marked a grim anniversary: one year since shots rang out and forever altered the community, and the city.

Bells from St. Barnabas on the Danforth Anglican church tolled in memory of 10-year-old Julianna Kozis and 18-year-old Reese Fallon, both killed when lone gunman Faisal Hussain opened fire along the street.

Trees in the parkette were covered with flowers, photographs and cards, including one in the shape of a butterfly with Fallon’s name on it that read: “Always Remembered, Never Forgotten. Loved Beyond Measure.”

Alexander the Great Parkette was where it all began on that warm summer night, where Hussain first drew his handgun and unleashed his bullets starting at 9:56 p.m., targeting friends, families and neighbours out enjoying a warm summer evening.

By the end of his rampage, after he had walked west on Danforth Ave. shooting at those strolling the street or gathered in restaurants or patios, Hussain had killed Kozis and Fallon and injured 13 others.

Rev. Walter Kelly, with Toronto Paramedic Services, told those gathered they could help reclaim the night by gathering together to remember those whose lives were claimed or forever altered.

“Who would have imagined that the dynamic, exciting summer night on the Danforth would be lit up with emergency lights?” Kelly asked. “And the wonderful music of joy would be drowned out with the sound of sirens of emergency vehicles?”

Kelly thanked those who congregated in the Parkette, even amid sporadic rain, for being there. “Your presence makes a difference,” he said.

He read out the names of the “incredible survivors” — those who were injured, including Danielle Kane, who is now paralyzed from the waist down after being shot while rushing out to help others.

And he acknowledged the hundreds of witnesses who saw the shooting, saying they were “traumatized as they ran for cover, fearing the worst.“

Kelly also thanked the first responders, including early call takers, and emergency staff including doctors and nurses.

Many of those gathered were moved to come to support the community after a shocking and traumatic event in a place they hold dear.

Helen Taylor, a longtime resident who no longer lives in the area, was travelling at the time of the shooting last year and felt that it was “terrible to not be here to support my street.” She attended Monday’s vigil because she wanted to show solidarity.

“This is where I grew up,” she said.

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Mayor John Tory said the anniversary is a day he can “never, ever forget — or should forget.”

It should be “an encouragement to us to pursue a safe city any way we can,” he said, including through mental health supports and stricter gun rules.

“These are not political discussions on a day like today. These are just really moral obligations that we have to the victims and to their families.”

Hussain, 29, fatally shot himself in the right temple in front of the Danforth Church with the Smith & Wesson .40 calibre handgun he used in the attack — a weapon police have since said was reported stolen in 2016 after being legally acquired by a Saskatchewan gun shop.

Police found the gun next to his body alongside two fully loaded handgun magazines, and a satchel which carried three more loaded magazines. A search of his apartment found a stockpile of more ammunition, including two loaded magazines for an AK-47 assault rifle, though no such gun was recovered.

Hussain shot himself moments after exchanging gunfire with two Toronto police officers, Consts. Volodymyr Zvezd’Onkin and Hongfei Zhou in an alleyway near Bowden Ave. Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, cleared the officers of any wrongdoing, saying their conduct was commendable during what were perilous circumstances.

Sylvia Jones, former minister of community safety and correctional services, has since recommended Zvezd’Onkin and Zhou for the Ontario Medal of Police Bravery.

Last month Toronto police released the findings of their nearly yearlong probe into the shooting, concluding that Hussain had no affiliation with any radical ideology or terrorist organizations but was a “troubled individual” who had a documented mental health history dating back two decades.

“We may never know the answer to why,” Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders told reporters after releasing the report last month.

The Toronto police probe included interviews with family, colleagues and acquaintances, a review of hospital and school records and a scouring of Hussain’s online life and revealed Hussain’s lengthy history of mental health issues, including suicidal and violent thoughts and anti-social tendencies.

Prior to the shooting, Hussain had no criminal record. Police had been called to separate emergency mental health emergencies involving Hussain, including after he began cutting his face with a razor blade at school and when he called 911 to report suicidal thoughts.

In a statement Monday, Saunders called the shooting “a tragic attack on our citizens and community that altered many lives forever.”

“It is important that we mark this day together. This incident is a reminder of our community’s resilience. A year ago, we responded with solidarity and strength, and it is solidarity and strength that we continue with today,” he said.