Memorial grows for mother, 4 children and family acquaintance killed in Ottawa
Dozens of stuffed animals, flowers and candles have been placed at a memorial in a Barrhaven park in memory of a mother, her four young children and a family acquaintance killed at their family home this week.
As Ottawa police continue to investigate the worst mass killing in the city’s history, the community is mourning the deaths and struggling to understand what happened.
“I feel so sad for the tragedy that happened,” said one woman at the memorial. “It’s heartbreaking, as a mother, to see four young children taken away.”
“It’s shocking because I’m a father of four here in this neighbourhood,” said a man at the vigil. “It’s shocking, I can’t believe it.”
A vigil has been established at Palmadeo Park, at the corner of Palmadeo Drive and Rodeo Drive, in memory of the six victims.
On Wednesday, officers responding to a 911 call found the bodies of six people inside the home. The suspect was arrested inside the house without incident.
The victims have been identified as 35-year-old Darshani Banbaranayake Gama Walwwe Darshani Dilanthika Ekanyake and her four children – Kelly, Rinyana, Ashwini and Inuka. A family acquaintance, 40-year-old Amarakoonmubiayansela Ge Gamini Amarakoon, was also found deceased at the home.
Police say the family were newcomers to Canada from Sri Lanka.
The Wickramasinghe family is pictured here in this undated image. The four young children and their mother were killed in their Ottawa home on March 6, 2024 alongside a family friend. The father was seriously injured in the attack. A 19-year-old suspect is in custody and is facing multiple counts of first-degree murder.
Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs says investigators continue to look into what happened inside the home Wednesday night.
“The team has got a plan and they’re going to dig in deeper to a lot of those different relationships,” Stubbs told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll Friday morning.
“We certainly have a fairly good idea of sort of the dynamics of what was going on, but still more work to go.”
The husband and father of the victims continues to recover in hospital. Stubbs says investigators will make sure “we don’t push him” as part of the investigation.
“We manage him as best as we can so he’s comfortable in talking and explaining everything on his time, because, obviously, he’s absorbing a lot of physical and mental injuries and we want to make sure his care and his wellness is number one.”
Suspect appears in court
The suspect made a brief court appearance on Thursday, and is scheduled to appear in court again next week.
Febrio De-Zoysa, 19, is facing six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. He cannot have contact with five people, including the surviving husband and father.
Police say De-Zoysa is a Sri Lankan national who came to Canada to study as an international student. A spokesperson for Algonquin College told CTV News Ottawa he attended classes at the Ottawa college, “It appears that his last semester of attendance was Winter 2023.”
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