Fundraiser for victims of Ottawa family mass killing reaches nearly 2,000 donations
On March 6, a mass killing of an Ottawa family rocked the quiet Barrhaven suburb.
Six members of the Wickramasinghe family — including four young children — and one of their family friends were stabbed inside their home on Berrigan Drive. Per the Ottawa Police Service (OPS), only the father survived with serious injuries.
The family was from Sri Lanka and new to Canada.
AAPC Lawyers & Notaries/Facebook
At about 10:52 pm on March 6, OPS operators received two 911 calls from the area reporting a “suspicious incident where a man was yelling for help asking people to call 911.”
Febrio De-Zoysa, a 19-year-old Sri Lankan national believed to be a student in Canada, was arrested and charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
The following day, a fundraiser with a goal of $200,000 was set up on GoFundMe to help the surviving father and family members of the deceased in Canada and Sri Lanka.
Hilda Jayewardenaramaya/GoFundMe (screenshot)
At the time of publishing this article, nearly $162,000 had already been raised by over 1,900 donors.
The Buddhist Congress of Canada (BCC) is facilitating the fundraiser.
Hilda Jayewardenaramaya/GoFundMe
On Saturday, a vigil was held at Barrhaven’s Palmadeo Park to mourn the lives lost: family friend Gamini Amarakone, 40; mother Bandaranayake Gama Walawwe Darshani Dilanthika Ekanayake, 35; son Inuka, 7; and daughters Ashwini, 4, Ranaya, 3, and Kelly, who was only two-and-a-half months old.
Two of the children attended local schools.
“Rest, little angels, be at peace,” reads a card left by a mourner. “Your life was a blessing; your memory is a treasure. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.”
Hilda Jayewardenaramaya/GoFundMe
“There are no words to express the profound sorrow of the community in facing this tragedy. Our thoughts are with the victims’ families and friends,” wrote donor Christina Jensen.
Many said they were lost for words and praying for the father.
An investigation is underway.
“I want to emphasize that this was a senseless act of violence perpetrated on purely innocent people. I know our whole community is shocked and mourning this event,” OPS Chief Eric Stubbs said. “I want to offer my condolences to the loved ones of all of the victims for this unimaginable loss. We are offering support, and we know the community is mobilizing.”
Click here to donate and read updates about the fundraiser.
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