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Accident – Death – Obituary News :
TORONTO: A 19-year-old student from Sri Lanka is accused of stabbing and killing six people he lived with, including a 2 1/2-month-old baby girl and three other children from a Sri Lankan family, Ottawa police said Thursday.
Ottawa police chief Eric Stubbs revealed that an “edged weapon” or “knife-like object” was used by the suspect, identified as Febrio De-Zoysa. De-Zoysa has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
According to Stubbs, the deceased are Sri Lankan nationals who recently arrived in Canada. The victims include a 35-year-old mother, a 7-year-old son, a 4-year-old daughter, a 2-year-old daughter, and the 2 1/2-month-old baby girl, as well as a 40-year-old acquaintance of the family.
When the first officers arrived at the home, the family’s father was outside screaming for help. The father is currently hospitalized with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries. Police received two emergency calls at 10:52 pm on Wednesday.
“This was a senseless act of violence perpetrated on purely innocent people,” said Stubbs.
The Sri Lankan high commission stated that they are in touch with relatives in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.
De-Zoysa appeared in court briefly on Thursday and was ordered not to speak to the surviving father or four other witnesses who provided statements to the police. His case was adjourned until March 13 to allow him time to find legal representation.
The incident took place in the Barrhaven area of Ottawa, and the suspect was arrested quickly without posing a further threat to public safety.
Neighbors shared their shock and horror at the tragedy, with one resident recalling meeting the family at a Halloween party last fall. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe expressed their condolences to the victims’ families and the city’s residents.
The victims have been identified as Darshani Banbaranayake Gama Walwwe Darshani Dilanthika Ekanyake, the 35-year-old mother; Inuka Wickramasinghe, a 7-year-old boy; Ashwini Wickramasinghe, a 4-year-old daughter; Rinyana Wickramasinghe, a 2-year-old daughter; and Kelly Wickramasinghe, a 2 1/2-month-old baby girl.
This tragic incident has left the community in shock and mourning as they come to terms with the loss of innocent lives.
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