Dozens of mourners gathered at the Infinity Convention Centre in Ottawa for a funeral service honoring members of a Sri Lankan family who fell victim to a tragic mass killing earlier this month. The multi-faith service, which began at 1 p.m., saw over 100 attendees paying their respects.
The family tragedy unfolded on March 6 when six people, including four children ranging from two months to seven years old, were discovered dead inside a townhouse in the Barrhaven suburb of Ottawa. Among the victims was 35-year-old Darshani Ekanayake, along with her children, and a family friend.
Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, the husband and father of the children, survived the attack but sustained injuries to his hands and face. Funeral organizers stated that he has requested privacy to grieve the loss of his family but expressed gratitude for the support received from the public.
The family, newcomers to Canada from Sri Lanka, had welcomed a newborn baby, less than three months old, in the country.
Police swiftly arrested a 19-year-old Sri Lankan man, Febrio De-Zoysa, on the evening of the attack. De-Zoysa, an international student who had been residing with the family, faces charges of six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. His lawyer, Ewan Lyttle, mentioned that De-Zoysa is in protective custody, and his family is deeply distressed by the allegations.