A 31-year-old nursing student remains in a Toronto hospital one week after she rushed toward a victim of the mass shooting in Toronto鈥檚 Greektown and ended up taking a bullet herself.
Danielle 鈥淒ani鈥� Kane was dining with her boyfriend Jerry Pinksen and a friend at a restaurant on Danforth Avenue last Sunday when they heard someone had been shot outside the restaurant. Pinksen, an emergency room nurse, says he rushed outside to see if he could help. Kane, a nursing student, followed close behind him.
Pinksen says he came face to face with the killer, who was later identified as Faisal Hussain. It鈥檚 not yet clear what led the 29-year-old man with a history of mental illness to shoot 15 people before apparently turning the gun on himself. Reese Fallon, an 18-year-old aspiring nurse, and Julianna Kozis, 10, died from their wounds.
鈥淚 did lock eyes with him, he saw me and he was just so calm,鈥� Pinksen told CTV Toronto. 鈥淭here was no distress on his face. He was cold, determined."
Hussain shot and Pinksen ducked. That鈥檚 when Kane was struck with the bullet that went through her diaphragm and stomach before exiting through her chest. She has a breathing tube inserted and doctors say she might not walk again. has been set up to raise money to cover her expected rehabilitation costs.
Pinksen says he feels overwhelmed with guilt.
鈥淚 made that decision to go outside to try to help someone, to try to help another victims and now my girlfriend is one of last victims,鈥� he said.
At the same time, Pinksen says he believes Kane would have rushed to help even had he tried to stop her.
He adds that he wants Kane to know that 鈥渟he鈥檚 safe,鈥� that he loves her and that 鈥渢here's a whole community out there that's supporting her.鈥�
鈥淭hey're going to be here for her through the whole process,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I'm never going to leave her side."
With a report from CTV Toronto鈥檚 Miranda Anthistle
