19-Year-Old Arrested as Mother and Her 4 Children Among the 6 Deceased In Ottawa Homicide

A mass shooting incident has been reported inside a two-floor townhouse on Berrigan Drive, suburb of Barrhaven, Ottawa, last Wednesday night before 11 p.m. Six people which included four children and two adults were killed in the incident.

A 19-year-old suspect has been arrested and charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. The accused is a Sri Lankan national who has been in Canada as a student. He will appear in court later today after which, his name can be released.

Ottawa Police Chief, Eric Stubbs mentioned that the investigators do not believe the homicide to be an incident of domestic violence or intimate partner violence.

The investigation discovered that an edged weapon was used to caused the deaths and injuries, calling it as a mass killing and not mass shooting.

A spokesperson for the Sri Lankan High Commission mentions that the deceased include a Sri Lankan Woman and her four children along with the father, identified as the Sri Lankan Man, survived but injured.

It has been reported that there were police cars parked outside the house in the Barrhaven neighborhood.

“We are proud to live in a safe community but this news is distressing to all Ottawa residents,” Mark Sutcliffe posted on X (formerly called Twitter), and further added “Thank you to our emergency responders who are investigating and supporting those who are affected by this terrible event.”

A recent statement by the Ottawa Police Chief, Eric Stubbs has been released where the further information of the deceased has been disclosed. In his statement, he mentions that at around 10:52 p.m., two 911 calls were received from the Berrigan Drive area reporting a tragic incident. The team was dispatched immediately after a few minutes and simultaneously multiple units began to arrive at the incident.

As soon as the officers entered the house, it was discovered that there were six dead victims, the youngest of which was less than three-months old. The family is identified to be originally from Sri Lanka and were newcomers to Canada.

A man who is the father and the husband of the deceased was found at the scene and was injured. He was taken to the hospital earlier this morning, where he is in serious but a stable condition.

The deceased are as, 35-year-old Darshani Banbaranayake Gama Walawe Darshani Dilanthika Ekanyake. She is the mother of the children. Their seven-year-old son Inuka Wickramasinghe, a four-year-old daughter Ashwini Wickramasinghe, a two-year-old daughter Rinyana Wickramasinghe, and their two-and-a-half-month-old daughter Kelly Wickramasinghe. Also, a 40-years-old Ge Gamini Amarakoon has been identified as an acquaintance of the family has been living in the house. He recently arrived in Canada.

Further, it has been mentioned by the Police Chief that the investigators and forensics teams are working very hard to ensure the justice is done.

Navneet Kaur