Sri Lankan student, 19, is charged with murder of two adults and four kids including 2-month old baby in Canada
A Sri Lankan student has been charged with the mass murder of a mother, her four children, and their friend.
Febrio De-Zoysa, 19, is accused of killing the family and their lodger, who had recently immigrated from Lanka, inside a home in Ottawa, Canada.
The victims are:
- Mom Darshani Banbaranayake Gama Walwwe Darshani Dilanthika Ekanyake, 35
- Their lodger Amarakoonmubiayansela Ge Gamini Amarakoon, 40,
- Inuka Wickramasinghe, seven,
- Ashwini Wickramasinghe, four
- Rinyana Wickramasinghe, two
- Kelly Wickramasinghe, two months old
The victims were discovered at a home just before 11 pm on Wednesday, March 6, after police received several frantic 911 calls.
No motive has been released for the killing.
According to Mail Online, Cops arrived at the house to find a man outside yelling for help. He was later taken to the hospital with serious wounds but is now said to be in stable condition.
Inside the home, authorities discovered his wife, their children, and the acquaintance.
Five of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, one was rushed to a nearby hospital, where the victim died.
De-Soyza has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Cop said he was arrested at the scene ‘without incident.’
Investigators said he was an acquaintance of the family and was living in the home at the time although no motive has been established yet.
They added that an ‘edged’ weapon was used during the killings.
‘There are a lot of questions about why this tragedy occurred. This is the focus of our homicide unit as [they] diligently investigate this tragic crime,’ Ottawa Deputy Police Chief Trish Ferguson said during Thursday’s press conference.
‘Our investigators and forensic teams are working very hard to determine all of the facts and ensure justice is done but that also means we must maintain the integrity of the investigation for court,’ she added.
‘This was a senseless act of violence, perpetrated on purely innocent people,’ Chief Eric Stubbs said.
‘We have been working to advise the families of the deceased, many of whom are overseas.
‘I want to emphasize that this was a senseless act of violence perpetrated on purely innocent people.
‘I know our whole community is shocked and mourning this event.
‘I want to offer my condolences to the loved ones of all of the victims for this unimaginable loss.’
The murders, which have rocked the community of Barrhaven, were addressed by the country’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
‘Obviously, our first reactions are all ones of shock and horror at this terrible violence,’ he said.
‘We are expecting that the community reaches out to support family and friends as Canadians always do, and we expect the police of jurisdiction to be doing the work and keeping us all informed of this tragedy.’
Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe also sought to reassure the public there was no wider danger.
‘While it will be difficult for many of us to go about our usual routines in the face of such tragedy, again there is no risk to the public.
‘We are fortunate to live in a safe city where these events are extremely rare, but everyone understandably will react to this news today, and feel less safe and secure.’
