18 March 2024 10:11 am Views - 3048
Organized by the Buddhist Congress of Canada (BCC), the service at the Infinity Convention Centre paid tribute to the victims: a family of newcomers to Canada from Sri Lanka and their friend.
According to police, four children and two adults were killed inside a suburban townhouse in south Ottawa on March 6.
Darshani Dilanthika Ekanayake, 35, was killed along with her three daughters — three-year-old Ranaya, four-year-old Ashwini, and two-month-old Kelly — and her seven-year-old son Inuka.
The body of a family friend, 40-year-old Gamini Amarakoon, who'd recently arrived in Canada from Sri Lanka, was also found at the scene.
Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, the family's father, survived the attack. He was injured with an edged weapon and taken to hospital.
Buddhist monks from Toronto and Ottawa led prayers and performed traditional funeral customs at Sunday's service.
They also thanked Ottawa's first responders for their work.
Wickramasinghe was in attendance, but did not deliver any remarks or speak to media.
Instead, he issued a statement afterward in which he thanked various groups — including first responders, the hospital, the BCC and the wider Sri Lankan community — for helping him deal with the "shock and chaos" in the wake of the killings.
He also said he was "devastated and torn" by the deaths of his wife, children and good friend.
"This tragedy has shaken me and my family deeply ... I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the public for their thoughts and prayers as I navigate through the aftermath of this tragedy," he wrote.
In a video message played at the funeral, Dishani Asangika Fernando, Amarakoon's wife, thanked him for being "a lovely husband [and] an amazing father all the time."
"I have a lot to tell, but right now I am speechless," she said.
"You [came here] to give a good future for our kids. But all our dreams just faded away in a way we never thought of."
Before the funeral, BCC president Naradha Kodituwakku told CBC News Network the tragedy is deeply affecting Sri Lankan and immigrant families in Barrhaven.
"For them to come here and have their life ended in such a short term ... we were devastated. We are still devastated," Kodituwakku said.
Pradeep Balasubramanian, who is Sri Lankan and lives in Toronto, came to the funeral to pass on a message from his family to Wickramasinghe and his relatives.
"Get well soon, and we will be with them always," Balasubramanian said.
Bhagya Jayaweera said she's been following the news since the killings happened, but standing in front of the hearses for the victims "made it very, very real."
Jayaweera said she wanted to pay her respects and offer peace to the victims' souls.
"A whole family ripped apart ... their father was taken away from them. I can't imagine," she said.
Several Canadian dignitaries spoke at the funeral, including Liberal MPs Gary Anandasangaree and Chandra Arya, Progressive Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod and Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.
"I want you to know your community is with you," Sutcliffe told the victims' families. "We must pull together as a community in a time like this.
"There are more difficult days ahead. This will be an unimaginable time for these families in the days and weeks and months ahead ... we will honour the memories of your family members."
Febrio De-Zoysa, 19, has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
De-Zoysa was living with the family when he allegedly killed them late at night. He was also a former student at Algonquin College.
His lawyer, Ewan Lyttle, told reporters on Thursday that De-Zoysa is in protective custody due to the seriousness of the charges against him,
Lyttle said Thursday it was too early to talk about a mental health assessment.
None of the charges against De-Zoysa have been proven and court has not heard any evidence surrounding the circumstances of the crimes.
De-Zoysa is expected back in court on March 28.