China News Service, Toronto, March 7 (Reporter Yu Ruidong) A murder occurred in the southern suburbs of Ottawa, the Canadian capital, on the evening of March 6, which resulted in 6 deaths and 1 injury, and nearly wiped out the whole family.
The police disclosed on the 7th that a suspect had been arrested.
The incident occurred at a residence in Barrhaven, a suburb south of Ottawa.
Ottawa police received the call at nearly 11pm on the 6th.
After arriving at the scene, the police found six victims and one injured person in the residence, and their identities have been identified.
Among the dead were a 35-year-old mother who lived here and her four children, including a 7-year-old eldest son and three daughters aged 4, 2 and 2 and a half months.
The children's father was seriously injured and was taken to hospital, where he is in stable condition.
This family is new immigrants from Sri Lanka.
The other deceased was a 40-year-old male acquaintance of the family living here who had recently arrived in Canada.
Police identified a 19-year-old male suspect at the crime scene and arrested him quickly.
No conflicts occurred during this process.
The suspect is a Sri Lankan who is believed to have studied in Canada and also lives at the residence where the crime occurred.
Police have charged the suspect with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
The suspect appeared in court for the first time on the afternoon of the 7th.
After investigation, the police found that the deaths and injuries in the case were caused by the use of sharp weapons and were not gunshots as once mistakenly believed.
The police are investigating the suspect's motive and other details; at the same time, the police believe that this was a senseless act of violence against innocent people and there is no ongoing risk to public safety.
On the 7th, Ottawa Mayor Sutcliffe expressed through online social platforms that he was deeply saddened by the case.
He described it as "one of the most shocking episodes of violence in Ottawa's history."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the media in Toronto and expressed his hope that the community would lend a helping hand to affected relatives and friends as Canadians have always done.