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Derek Soberal was one of those guys who was always obsessed with whatever he was obsessed about.

G-20, he was all in. Demonstrations about homelessness, he was on the front lines. When Occupy Toronto took over St. James Park, he was there 24/7.

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Then along came the coronavirus.

“He just couldn’t let it go,” said his devastated mom, Judy. “We tried to tell him to relax but he was really upset about it.”

So much so, it pushed him over the edge. The 40-year-old’s life ended in a horrific suicide.

This story is as dark as they come and it’s understandable if you don’t read on. I’d also like to mention at this point that the suicide prevention line for the GTA is 416-408-4357. The national hotline is 1-833-456-4566.

Witnesses described a horrific scene at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday: A man walking at Dundas and Jarvis Sts., literally on fire. He entered a convenience store, took a knife from the deli counter and repeatedly stabbed himself.