:format(jpeg):focal(2785x2775:2795x2765)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gfrmedia/ZMDTRZEVMBH45K34LA5ZWNOFWQ.jpg "Six members of a family killed in Canada")
A 19-year-old Sri Lankan student has been charged with stabbing and killing six people he lived with, including a 2½-month-old girl and three other children from a Sri Lankan family, Ottawa police said Thursday. The suspect, identified as Febrio De-Zoysa, is facing six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs stated that the suspect used a “bladed weapon” or “knife-like object” in the attack. The victims were all Sri Lankan citizens who had recently arrived in Canada, including a 35-year-old mother, a 7-year-old son, a 4-year-old daughter, a 2-year-old daughter, and a 2½-month-old girl, as well as a 40-year-old acquaintance of the family.
When police arrived at the scene after receiving emergency calls at 10:52 p.m. Wednesday, they found the father of the family outside the home with serious, non-life-threatening injuries. The father is currently hospitalized.
“This was a senseless act of violence perpetrated against completely innocent people,” Stubbs said.
De-Zoysa made a brief appearance in court on Thursday and was ordered not to speak to the surviving father or the witnesses who gave statements to the police. His case has been adjourned until March 13 to allow him time to find a lawyer.
The High Commissioner of Sri Lanka stated that he is in contact with relatives of the victims in Colombo. The police have confirmed the identities of the victims, including the mother and her children, as well as the acquaintance who was also killed in the attack.
Neighbors in the Barrhaven area expressed shock and horror at the tragic event. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe both expressed their condolences and disbelief at the heartbreaking incident.
The investigation is ongoing, but the police have stated that there is no ongoing threat to public safety. The suspect was quickly detained after the attack, and several people dressed in white jumpsuits were seen entering and leaving the home early Thursday morning.