An arm patch is seen on an Ottawa Police Service officer during a news conference, in Ottawa, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Ottawa police said four children and two adults were killed and a seventh person injured in a violent attack at a home in a southern city suburb late Wednesday night.
A single male suspect was arrested at the scene and remains in custody. He is expected to make his first appearance at the courthouse Thursday afternoon.
Police said very quickly there was no ongoing threat to public safety.
They have not identified any of the victims, but Sri Lanka’s high commission in Ottawa said the victims are from Sri Lanka. A spokesperson at the high commission said the father survived but his wife and children died in the attack.
It is not clear how the second adult who died is related to the family.
The high commission said it is in touch with their family members in the country’s capital of Colombo.
Ottawa police chief Eric Stubbs initially told CBC News the attack was a “mass shooting” carried out by a “lone actor,” but a police spokeswoman later said he had misspoken and that the weapon used in the attack had not been confirmed.
He also said police were still trying to determine the relationship between the suspect and the victims but that it did not appear to be a case of domestic violence.
More information is expected from police at a news conference scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Police were called to the home by a 911 call just before 11 p.m. Wednesday night.
Shanti Ramesh, who lives across the street, said she heard a commotion late in the evening and from her balcony saw a man sitting in the driveway of the home yelling. She said two police officers arrived and carried him away.
Several more police cruisers and an ambulance arrived on the scene shortly afterward, Ramesh said. By 11:30 p.m., the street was teeming with flashing lights.
Multiple police cars and a coroner’s van were parked in the driveway, on the street and in neighbouring driveways Thursday morning. Forensic investigators in white jumpsuits went in and out of the home.
Uniformed police officers held a white sheet to block the view of the door as the investigators carried the bodies out shortly after 9 a.m.
Blood droplets were spattered all over a sidewalk and on the front door of the townhome next door.
Sayed Ahmadi said he arrived home at almost midnight on Wednesday evening and wasn’t able to park his car because of the police presence. On Thursday morning, blood spatter was still visible just outside his car.
He said he remembers seeing a man washing his car in the townhouse’s driveway and kids aged about 7 or 8.
The townhouse is in Barrhaven, a fast-growing suburb about 20 kilometres south of the city’s downtown core. The address is on Berrigan Drive, a busy through street located within a block of two different elementary schools.
Neighbours walking their kids to school were horrified by the scene unfolding before them.
“This is unbelievable for the whole neighbourhood,” said Ahmed Saed, as he walked his 11-year-old son to school.
Katie McNelly, who lives a short drive away, said she considered keeping her kids home until the police made clear there was no ongoing threat. She said she is in disbelief that it happened.
“What could cause someone or people to do this, you know, annihilate six people that had their lives to lead,” she said. “I’ll definitely be hugging my family a bit tight tonight.”
Neighbours believe some of the family’s children attended a nearby Catholic school.
Sharlene Hunter, a spokesperson for the Ottawa Catholic School Board, said she had not been told if the children attended one of the board’s schools but said students and staff will be provided with any assistance or support they need.
“We at the Ottawa Catholic School Board want to express our deep sorrow for the tragic events that occurred in the Barrhaven community,” she said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected by this loss.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other political leaders offered their condolences.
“Our first reactions are all ones of shock and horror at this terrible violence,” said Trudeau.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe called the news distressing.
“I was devastated to learn of the multiple homicide in Barrhaven, one of the most shocking incidents of violence in our city’s history,” Sutcliffe said in a post on X.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also offered his condolences.
“This morning’s news is heartbreaking,” he said on X. “My thoughts are with the family and friends of the six victims and the entire Ottawa community who is reeling from this terrible tragedy.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2024.
– With files from Mickey Djuric.
