A 19-year-old student, Febrio De-Zoysa, has been charged with taking the lives of six individuals, including four innocent children, in what Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs has called the “deadliest mass killing in Ottawa in at least three decades.” The police noted that De-Zoysa, an acquaintance recently living in the family’s basement, had no prior encounters or issues with law enforcement.

The scene of the crime, a townhouse nestled in the Ottawa suburb, became a site of unimaginable sorrow when police, responding to urgent 911 calls just before midnight, Wednesday, March 6, 2024, found the bodies of six people. 

Among the victims were a Sri Lankan “newcomer” family, who had just arrived last year, including Darshani Dilanthika Ekanayake, 35, a mother to four children all under the age of seven, including a baby less than three months old, and Amarakoonmubiayansela Ge Gamini Amarakoon, a 40-year-old man also residing with the family. The father of the family, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, 34, was attacked and stabbed when he came in the door that night, fought back, and found his family dead. He survived the attack but was hospitalized with serious injuries.

The suspect, Febrio De-Zoysa, also of Sri Lankan origin and a student in Canada, was arrested at the scene. Charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, De-Zoysa’s motives remain a mystery that police are trying to unravel. Initial reports mistakenly referred to the incident as a mass shooting, but it was later clarified that an “edged weapon” was the instrument of death.

A monk from a local Buddhist monastery, Bhante Suneetha, said that the father said there were no problems between De Zoysa and the family; they had even made a birthday party for him a week before the killings. But De Zoysa was having problems in school and had become suicidal.

“This is a tragic case… and it will greatly impact the city of Ottawa, let alone the immediate neighborhood in Barrhaven,” said Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs, acknowledging the deep scars this event will leave on the community. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe echoed this sentiment, deeming it “one of the most shocking incidents of violence in our city’s history.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has strongly denounced the brutal killing. He stated, “Obviously, our first reactions are all ones of shock and horror at this terrible violence,” emphasizing the expected support from the community for the family and friends of the victims, a common response from Canadians. Trudeau also stressed the importance of the police’s role in conducting investigations and keeping the public informed about this tragic event.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford found the news of the mass fatalities in Ottawa profoundly distressing, sharing on social platforms his sympathies for the relatives and acquaintances of the six deceased and the broader Ottawa community, which is grappling with this horrific event.

The incident has had a profound impact throughout Canada, a nation that infrequently experiences mass casualty incidents, in contrast to its southern neighbor, the United States. In Ottawa, a city with a population of one million, there were merely 14 homicides in 2023, following a total of just 15 in the previous year.

De-Zoysa made a short appearance in an Ottawa court, shown via Zoom just before 4 p.m. on Thursday. He provided the justice of the peace with his name and birthdate. The suspect has been ordered to stay in detention until next week. The court-appointed lawyer asked for the case to be postponed until then, allowing the teen the opportunity to secure his own legal representation.

As investigations continue, the emphasis remains on supporting those affected by this tragedy. “So obviously, we encourage everybody to reach out and get help to help manage themselves through this traumatic event,” Police Chief Stubbs urged, highlighting the need for collective healing in the aftermath of such devastating loss.