On Thursday, police said that six people from Sri Lanka, including a mother and four young children, were killed in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, calling the deaths a "mass killing."
Police claimed that the six victims were newcomers to Canada, and the youngest was less than three months old.
Sri Lankan Family Killed in Canada
On Wednesday at around 10 pm local time, Ottawa police officers received emergency calls from the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven. When they arrived, police chief Eric Stubbs said the officers immediately recognized the suspect, who was arrested without incident.
The victims, who included a mother, her four children, and an acquaintance who was living with the family, were found when the officers entered the home.
Darshani Banbaranayake Gama Walwwe Darshani Dilanthika Ekanyake and her four children, Inuka Wickramasinghe, Ashwini Wickramasinghe, Rinyana Wickramasinghe, and Kelly Wickramasinghe, were identified as the victims.
The acquaintance and sixth deceased victim was recognized as 40-year-old Amarakoonmubiayansela Ge Gamini Amarakoon. Chief Stubbs claimed that the father of the family was hurt and was taken to hospital in a critical but stable condition.
Police identified the suspect as 19-year-old Febrio De-Zoysa. He was arrested with six charges of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
However, the reason behind the killing was not immediately clear. Stubbs said an "edged weapon" was used to kill and wound the victims. He said the police investigation is ongoing.
Furthermore, he said the incident is the biggest murder case in Ottawa's recent history. He described it as a "real tragedy" that would significantly impact the nation's capital.
He also warned the residents and community members to stay away from the area.
Canadian Officials Speak Out
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the mass killing of an Ottawa family that had recently moved from Sri Lanka and called it an act of "terrible violence."
Trudeau made his comments on Thursday in the hours after a family and their acquaintance were killed in an apparent late-night stabbing in Ottawa. In a separate interview with CBC News earlier on Thursday, he mistakenly called the incident a "mass shooting," which was later clarified.
Ottawa's mayor referred to the multiple killings as one of the most shocking incidents of violence in their city's history. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that they are proud to live in a safe community, but the recent news is distressing to all Ottawa residents.
He thanked the emergency responders investigating and supporting those affected by the terrible event. Mass killings are relatively infrequent in Canada, which has a population of over 38 million. However, there were two prominent attacks in December 2022, where a man opened fire on five people before being fatally shot by police.
