OTTAWA – The landlord of an Ottawa townhouse that was the site of a gruesome mass killing says he had no idea others were living at the home – including the 19-year-old international student who is facing six charges of first-degree murder.
Harpreet Chhabra spoke to The Canadian Press from Mexico the day after learning that 35-year-old Darshani Ekanayake and her four children, the youngest only two-and-a-half months old, were found dead inside the home Wednesday night.
The sole survivor of the attack was the kids’ father, who was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injures.
Chhabra said the family had been leasing from him since last June or July.
He said he didn’t know the couple had a new baby, nor that others were also living in the house.
Gamini Amarakoon Amarakoon Mudiyanselage, a 40-year-old man, was also found dead at the scene. Police described him as a family friend who had recently arrived from Sri Lanka and was living with the family.
On Thursday, police charged Febrio De-Zoysa, an international student who last attended Algonquin College, with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Police said he is the only suspect.
Chhabra said he first received a call from police about what happened while he was at the airport on Thursday morning at around 9 a.m.
“I was shocked,” he said in an interview Friday. “My heart goes out to them.”
The family’s father, identified in court documents as Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, is trying to secure visas for some of his family members to come to Canada, the Sri Lankan high commission says.
Lashinka Dammullage, a minister counsellor at the country’s mission in Ottawa, says consular officials are working to help the family get visas for his father and brother.
Neighbours and community members gathered in a small park in a suburban street Thursday evening for a vigil for the victims.
They brought flowers and teddy bears and lit candles, as they asked what could have led someone to kill four children, among them a baby.
The four children were identified as a seven-year-old son, Inuka Wickramasinghe, and three daughters: Ashwini, 4; Ranyana, 3 and Kelly, two-and-a-half months, who was born in Canada.
“We know 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 police Chief Eric Stubbs said Thursday.
Those gathered at the vigil near the home in Barrhaven were asking the same questions that evening.
Therika Ekanayake, who is also from Sri Lanka, said she showed up to the vigil to pay respect to the family. Ekanayake, who is not related to the victim and did not know the family, said the community is shaken.
Roshan Fernando said the Sri Lankan community is a peaceful one. “It’s a big shock for everybody,” he said.
“Hopefully justice will be served for the family.”
Ruth Jacobs, who lives nearby and is a minister, came out to see if she could be of any comfort to her neighbours. “I just feel really, really sad,” she said. “I wonder who could do this to children.”
Ginette, who declined to give her last name, said her granddaughter went to the same school and played with the seven-year-old victim at recess.
“It’s a useless, senseless crime. Why?” she said. “I can’t wrap my head around it.”
“All day, I’ve been trying to figure out how to explain this to her, that the little boy is not going to be at recess anymore.”
Christine Bellini said she’s lived in the area for 35 years. “I never thought this little community would experience such a tragedy,” she said.
Bellini predicted the community would rally around the father.
“I can’t imagine what this poor man is going to do or what he’s going to go through.”
Bhante Suneetha, a resident monk at the Hilda Jayewardenaramaya Buddhist Monastery, said Thursday he knew the family well and had visited the father in hospital.
The father told Suneetha he arrived home from his evening cleaning job Wednesday night to be attacked as he entered the house.
“He’s in shock, great shock,” Suneetha said.
