Ottawa community gathers at vigil to mourn victims of mass killing

• Police say it is one of the worst mass killings in the region’s recent history

More than 300 people gathered in the suburban Ottawa neighbourhood of Barrhaven Saturday for a community vigil following what police have called one of the worst mass killings in the region’s recent history.  
Ottawa Police Service said Thursday that the homicide unit was called in after six people — four children and two adults — were found dead inside a home in the city’s west-end suburb on Wednesday night, the Global News reported.  

“My daughter played with their kids a lot… On New Year’s at the temple they were all playing together so it’s really hard to see that this happened,” said one sobbing neighbour Mirissa Kumar 
One of the victims was a woman, Darshani Dilanthika Ekanayake, and her two-and-a-half-month-old baby.  
Police allege 19-year-old Febrio De-Zoysa murdered Ekanayake, her four children and a family acquaintance.  
The father, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries.  De-Zoysa, who had been boarding with the Wickramasinghe family, is facing six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.  

Sri Lanka’s High Commission in Ottawa confirmed to Global News that the two adult victims are Sri Lankan nationals.  
Neighbours and friends gathered in reflection and fellowship at a community park Saturday afternoon, just a block away from the home where the Wickramasinghe family were building their new life in Canada.  
On and around benches, community members laid heartfelt notes, teddy bears, bouquets of flowers and balloons among other items to pay their respects.   Naradha Kodituwakku from the Buddhist Congress of Canada, spoke to the crowd.  
“Ottawa Sri Lankan community, I know you’re hurting and we are hurting with you,” he said as his voice cracked with emotion.   A number of attendees at the vigil knew the mother, Dharshani, and her four children personally. Some brought photos and shared memories with others in the community.   Neighbours of the family struggled with the senseless violence, including Rochelle LaChance, who lives just a few houses down from where the homicides occurred.  
“It’s been weighing heavy on a lot of us… it’s nice to see everyone together and have this space to grieve. I know this is going to take a long time and I really feel for the family and all the friends involved,” she told Global News.  
Another neighbour, Daniel Bordage, shared a similar sentiment.  
“What the kids went through, for me, is the hardest thing to be honest. And I have young kids as well,” he told Global News.  
Neighbour Wilson Lo said: “I’m still thinking of the kids at the school who may not fully understand why two of their friends won’t be there anymore.”  
The surviving father, Dhanushka, is currently recovering in hospital from two surgeries for wounds suffered in the attack that killed his family. Once he’s released, those at the Buddhist temple where Dhanushka and his family prayed say they are ready to take him in and care for him.