Ottawa Residents to Hold Vigil for Victims of Mass Stabbing

Ottawa Residents to Hold Vigil for Victims of Mass Stabbing
Flowers sit at the scene of a homicide where six people were found dead in the Barrhaven suburb of Ottawa on Mar. 7, 2024. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
The Canadian Press
Updated:
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A vigil for the six victims of a deadly mass stabbing in Ottawa is expected to take place today.

The vigil is scheduled for 11 a.m. in Palmadeo Park, near the home in the suburb of Barrhaven where two adults and four children were killed Wednesday night.

Thirty-five-year-old Darshani Ekanayake and her four children, the youngest only two and a half months old, were killed, as was a 40-year-old family friend who was staying with them.

The father, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, was the sole survivor and is in hospital recovering from injuries sustained in a struggle with the suspect, who faces murder charges.

Naradha Kodituwakku of the Buddhist Congress of Canada, who visited him in hospital, said Wickramasinghe has felt the community’s support.

The Buddhist Congress of Canada has also set up a fundraiser on the GoFundMe platform to support the victims’ families.