Supreme Court of Canada won’t hear Eaton Centre shooter’s sentencing appeal

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the sentencing appeal of a man who opened fire in Toronto’s Eaton Centre mall in 2012, killing two people and leaving several others injured.

Christopher Husbands was found guilty in 2019 of two counts of manslaughter in the deaths of Ahmed Hassan and Nixon Nirmalendran.

He was also found guilty of five counts of aggravated assault, one of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, and one of intentionally discharging a firearm while being reckless concerning the life or safety of another person.

Husbands was sentenced to life imprisonment on both counts of manslaughter, with parole eligibility set at the statutory minimum of seven years, as well as prison terms to be served at the same time for the other offences.

Husbands appealed the sentences on several grounds, arguing they were demonstrably unfit and that the trial judge had failed to properly apply the legal framework for considering social context.

Last year, the Ontario Court of Appeal found there was “no basis for interfering” in the sentences handed to Husbands.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2025.