(Ottawa) A family from Sri Lanka who had recently settled in Canada was decimated in the worst mass killing in recent history that occurred in Ottawa on Wednesday evening. Six people, including four young children and their mother, were stabbed to death in Ottawa, while one man was injured. A 19-year-old student staying with the victims was arrested. In the community, incomprehension reigns.
What there is to know
Six people, including a mother and her four young children, were stabbed to death and a man was seriously injured Wednesday evening in Ottawa.
The victims are members of a family from Sri Lanka who had recently arrived in Canada as well as one of their acquaintances from the same country.
A 19-year-old man also of Sri Lankan origin, recently settled in Ottawa for his university studies, was arrested in connection with these multiple murders.
Authorities describe the tragedy as the worst mass shooting in Ottawa’s recent history.
In Barrhaven, a district of Ottawa located about twenty kilometers south of the city center of the federal capital, this is unheard of. Six innocent people stabbed. Children killed in their own homes, for no apparent reason. The youngest victim was barely 2 months old, repeats Anua Thomas, neighbor of the house where the attack took place. She was woken up Wednesday evening, blinded by the flashing lights and the cacophony caused by the police operation.
“I know everyone says that, but it’s a neighborhood where nothing happens. We never see the police so much that I thought someone had a heart attack. I never thought about murder,” she explained breathlessly.
This event of incredible violence disturbed the peace and quiet of the residents of this neighborhood, which looks like a perfect suburb, where all the houses look the same. Shanti Ramesh, who lives across the street, said she saw a man in distress outside the driveway. He was screaming. However, she does not know if this was the suspect, she said.
Hard to believe
Reached by telephone on Thursday evening, Bhanté Sumana, one of the members of the Hilda Jayewardenaramaya Buddhist monastery, located nearby, was having difficulty explaining the tragedy that had just occurred.
We are all still in shock. It’s painful, but above all it’s hard to believe. We try to help however we can. In the community, there is a lot of discussion about what we can do for the family in the coming days.
Bhanté Sumana, member of the Hilda Jayewardenaramaya Buddhist monastery
He remembers that the family involved in this tragedy “were very friendly to everyone”, which made the tragedy all the more surprising according to him.
“Honestly, they really had a great story. They came to the temple together quite often, they were very kind and helpful, they helped us. We just can’t believe what happened,” adds Bhanté Sumana.
A funeral should normally be held next weekend, either Saturday or Sunday, near the temple, says the resident. “All this remains to be determined [vendredi]but it is certain that the whole community will want to be there together, as a show of solidarity,” he concludes.
Rare violence in Ottawa
“This is the biggest mass killing in Ottawa’s recent history,” police chief Eric Stubbs said during a press briefing. He described the shock and horror of those who discovered the bodies of the six victims around 11 p.m. Wednesday. The investigation, he added, promises to be complex and difficult. The authorities recalled that an event of such violence was rare, even unprecedented, in the capital.
The police chief clarified that it was a mass killing and not a shooting. A “sharp object” was used by the assailant in each of the murders and in the attempted murder.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
“This is the biggest mass killing in Ottawa’s recent history,” said police chief Eric Stubbs during a press briefing early in the afternoon.
Calls were made to 911 “reporting a suspicious incident where a man was screaming “help” and asking people to dial 911,” detailed Trish Ferguson, deputy chief of the Ottawa Police Service. When police arrived shortly after, they discovered the suspect, whom they arrested without incident, M added.me Ferguson.
The youngest victim, Kelly Wickramasinghe, was only 2 months old. His siblings also died in Wednesday night’s attack. They are Rinyana Wickramasinghe, 2 years old, Ashwini Wickramasinghe, 4 years old, and Inuka Wickramasinghe, 7 years old.
PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK
The Wickramasinghe family
The children’s mother, Darshani Ekanyake, 35, was found dead in the home. Amarakoonmubiayanselan Ge Gamini Amarakoon, a family acquaintance, was also killed in the same circumstances.
Only the children’s father, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, who is in critical but stable condition, survived the massacre. This is precisely what troubles Gustav. A new arrival in the neighborhood, he lives two houses from the one where the tragedy occurred. “I can’t imagine the pain of this man who saw his wife and children die,” explained the man who preferred not to give his last name.
According to reports in various media on Thursday, Mr. Wickramasinghe moved to Canada in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, before managing to reunite with his family in the past year. He had also recently started a business.
The suspect hosted by the family
“We are currently notifying the families of the deceased, some of whom are overseas. We are talking about a difficult and complex investigation,” reiterated Ottawa Deputy Police Chief Trish Ferguson.
The victims are members of a family from Sri Lanka newly established in the country, as well as one of their acquaintances, aged 40. This person was staying with the family at the time of the tragedy, as was the suspect, Febrio De-Zoysa.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The young man charged with six counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder was staying at the victims’ home.
Little is known about the alleged 19-year-old murderer: the young man has no criminal record, no known history of mental disorders and he was not known to the police, according to information disclosed in point Press.
The young man charged with six counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder is a Sri Lankan national. He had recently moved to Canada for his studies. “The suspect is an acquaintance of the victims and lived with them at the time of the tragedy,” confirmed Chief Eric Stubbs.
PHOTO PATRICK DOYLE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
A 19-year-old man, Febrio De-Zoysa, was arrested at the scene shortly after first responders arrived.
The police had never intervened with this young man before the tragedy of Wednesday evening. It was also the first time authorities visited the home where the killings occurred.
“It is particularly disturbing for me as a parent to hear about the deaths of very young children,” said Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.
Authorities are advising the public to avoid the crime scene, given the ongoing investigation. A space allowing the population to gather has been set up in Palmedeo Park, not far from the victims’ homes. “This tragedy will undoubtedly weigh on our hearts for a long time,” added the deputy chief of the Ottawa Police Service.
On social media, Mark Sutcliffe wrote that he was dismayed to learn of the multiple homicides, which he added constituted “one of the most shocking incidents of violence in the history of [la] city ”. The mayor also thanked emergency responders who are investigating and supporting those affected.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also offered his condolences. “The news this morning is heartbreaking,” he wrote on X. “My thoughts are with the family and friends of the six victims as well as the entire Ottawa community who are in shock from this terrible tragedy. »