6 people including a mother and four children were killed in a stabbing in Canada – 2024-03-09 11:42:01

Six people, including five members of a Sri Lankan family, have been killed in a stabbing in the Canadian capital of Ottawa. Among them are four children and their mother. Another person known to the family was killed in this incident. Besides, the children’s father is also injured and hospitalized. On Thursday (March 7) the local police reported this information.

According to the police, the incident took place on Wednesday (March 6) in the southwestern city of Barrhaven. All the people killed in this incident are Sri Lankans. Police have arrested 19-year-old Sri Lankan student Fabrio D-Joysa in this incident. He has been charged with six counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

D-Joysa knew all the victims of the attack and lived with them in the house. The victims of his attack are 35-year-old Darshani Banbaranaike Gama Wallwe Darshani Dilanthika Ekanyake and her four children: seven-year-old Inuka Wickramasinghe, four-year-old Ashwini Wickramasinghe, two-year-old Rinyana Wickramasinghe and two-month-old Kelly Wickramasinghe. And the family’s acquaintance and the sixth victim is 40-year-old Amarkunmudiansela Gay Gamini Amarkun.

A 19-year-old Sri Lankan male student named Fabrio De-Joysa has been arrested in connection with the incident and charged with six counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, police said. D-Joysa knew the family and was staying at their house, police said.

At a press conference, Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs said police officers arrived at the scene, quickly identified the suspect and arrested him without incident. Later, the officials entered the house and recovered the bodies and took one person who was seriously injured to the hospital.

Eric Stubbs claims this is a cowardly attack on innocent people. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said in a post on social media that this is one of the most tragic acts of violence in our city’s history.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the knife attack a ‘horrible tragedy’ and said he was shocked by such an incident. Such murders are generally rare in Canada. So naturally, this incident has created a sensation in the whole of Canada.

Mass murders are rare in Canada. In December 2022, a man shot five people in suburban Toronto before being shot dead by police. Also, in September of that year, a man stabbed and killed 11 people in the western province of Saskatchewan. On the other hand, Ottawa saw 14 homicides in 2023 and 15 in 2022.

Sources: BBC, Reuters

SAH