By Ben Kerrigan-
A quiet residential neighborhood in Barrhaven, south Ottawa, has been shattered by a horrific mass killing, leaving six people dead, including four young children.
The gruesome incident, which unfolded late Wednesday night, has sent shockwaves through the community and left authorities scrambling for answers.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed horror at what he described as a terrible tragedy.
The victims killed were a 35-year-old woman and her children aged 7, 4, 2 and 2 months, as well as a 40-year-old man who was an acquaintance of the family.
“This was a senseless act of violence perpetrated on purely innocent people,” Ottawa police chief Eric Stubbs told a televised news conference. Police said they had had no previous dealings with the suspect or the family.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, in a social media post, said it was “one of the most shocking incidents of violence in our city’s history”.
Ottawa, which has a population of one million, saw 14 murders in 2023 and 15 in 2022.
Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs, addressing the media in a somber briefing, revealed chilling details of the tragedy.
The victims, identified as a family of newcomers to Canada from Sri Lanka, were brutally slain inside a townhouse on Berrigan Drive.
Among them were 35-year-old Darshani Banbaranayake Gama Walwwe Darshani Dilanthika Ekanyake, her three daughters – seven-year-old Inuka, four-year-old Ashwini, two-year-old Rinyana, and her two-month-old daughter Kelly.
Also killed was a family acquaintance Amarakoonmubiayansela Ge Gamini Amarakoon, 40.
The lone survivor, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, Ekanyake’s husband, sustained injuries and is currently hospitalized in stable condition.
Authorities swiftly apprehended 19-year-old Febrio De-Zoysa, a Sri Lankan national believed to be residing in Canada as a student, at the scene. De-Zoysa has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
Police have identified him as an acquaintance of the family, who was residing in their home at the time of the massacre.
During his court appearance, De-Zoysa remained largely silent, offering only his name and birthdate. He was remanded in custody pending his next court appearance scheduled for March 14.
Chief Stubbs condemned the killings as “a senseless act of violence perpetrated on purely innocent people,” expressing condolences to the bereaved families.
The Ottawa Catholic School Board confirmed the tragic loss of two students from Monsignor Paul Baxter School, offering support and counseling to students and staff coming to terms with the incomprehensible loss.