‘No retaliation, no anger’
Anguished man whose family was slain shows compassion for accused killer, community says
OTTAWA From his hospital bed, a man whose wife and four young children were slain in Ottawa this week managed to offer some compassion for their accused killer, say those who saw him Friday.
As the search for answers continued in the wake of the deadliest mass killing in the capital’s recent history, several community members were able to visit Dhanushka Wickramasinghe in hospital.
Wickramasinghe was the lone survivor of a horrific attack Wednesday night that left his family and another man who had been living at their house dead.
Febrio De-Zoysa, a 19-year-old international student who had also recently started living with the family, is now facing six charges of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. No motive has yet been revealed.
Tired, with physical marks visible from the attack, Wickramasinghe was said to have smiled as the visitors entered the hospital room. A local temple’s resident monk, Bhante Suneetha, said he placed his hands on Wickramasinghe to show him the love of his community and provide him with strength.
Wickramasinghe “fought off tears,” when he heard of the support from his community, Naradha Kodituwakku told the Star. Kodituwakku is the temple director at the Hilda Jayewardenaramaya Buddhist Monastery.
Wickramasinghe remains in serious condition, but his injuries are not believed to be lifethreatening.
Those who spoke with Wickramasinghe said he showed empathy for the accused.
“He mentioned that he’s a young kid, and like that type of compassion is what we teach in Buddhism, too,” Kodituwakku said. “He’s way better than me, to be honest.”
“No retaliation. No anger,” Suneetha said.
Killed in Wednesday’s attack in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven were Darshani Ekanayake, 35, along with her seven-yearold son, Inuka Wickramasinghe, and her three daughters: Ashwini, 4; Ranaya, 3; and Kelly, a 2 1⁄2 -month-old baby, who police say died from injuries from a “knifelike object.”
Gamini Amarakoon Amarakoon Mudiyanselage, 40, was also killed in the attack. He was living with the family after arriving from Sri Lanka just two months ago, Kodituwakku said. The victims and the accused were all Sri Lankan nationals.
Suneetha said he met Wickramasinghe when he first came to the temple shortly after arriving in the city from Sri Lanka a few years ago. At the time, he was studying at Algonquin College and has been actively engaged in the temple’s community and events since.
When Wickramasinghe’s wife and three children at the time came to Canada a year ago, the two became part of the temple’s community.
Suneetha said Wickramasinghe’s oldest child, his son Inuka, had registered for the Dharma school to take meditation classes only that past Sunday.
Wickramasinghe’s relatives from home have been in contact with the Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa, minister counsellor Lashinka Dammullage told the Star. The high commission is helping co-ordinate visitor visas for Wickramasinghe’s father and brother, who hope to be in Canada within a few days. “He needs mental support from his close relatives,” Dammullage said.
She said the high commission met with Ottawa police, temple leaders and community leaders Thursday night to discuss how to support the families of the victims.
“This is shocking news for everyone, especially the Sri Lankan community here in Ottawa. Everyone was so devastated.”
Friday morning, the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Toronto issued a statement on Facebook calling for parents of international students to be cautious of the pressures they can experience.
It urged parents to “pay more attention” to their children as they study in foreign countries, underlining the “societal and psychological environment” they face there. The statement was later removed.
The last semester for the accused killer, De-Zoysa, at Algonquin College in Ottawa was winter 2023, a spokesperson for the college said in a statement to the Star.
The family’s landlord had been dropping off luggage at the airport, en route to what he hoped would be a relaxing vacation with his family in Mexico, when he got a call from police. What they told him was unimaginable: six people dead at the Ottawa townhome he rents out, including four young children.
Harpreet Chhabra said the family had signed a lease for the unit he owns as an investment property this past summer. He said he didn’t know anyone else, including the 19-year-old accused, was living at the property.
“I try not to bother my tenants,” he said. But he emphasized the family’s surviving father, Wickramasinghe, whom he mostly had contact with through a real estate agent, was highly recommended and easy to deal with.
“He’s a great tenant,” he said, adding he hopes to offer any support he can. “I can’t even imagine his loss so my heart really goes out to him.”
Chhabra had hoped his own family’s trip would be a way for his wife and children to decompress after the sudden loss of his sister-in-law, not yet 50 years old, to cancer this year. This second, unexpected loss, has them again mourning.
“I was trying to help her heal by taking her off for vacation and this is when we hear at the airport that this has happened.”
Tucked away in the quiet neighbourhood of Barrhaven, a memorial started by the local community Thursday evening has been slowly growing with tokens of condolence.
Only a block away from the family’s home, community members stopped to place flowers, stuffed animals, candles and other items underneath a wooden awning, with a photo of the Wickramasinghe family at the centre.
Kayla Barnett came by Friday afternoon with her two young children, age 5 and 11 months, to place a collection of six colourful balloons — one for each of the victims along with their names.
Living only five minutes away, she said she had to put herself in another room and cry when she heard the news Thursday.
“It felt real but just when you come here, it just feels different,” Barnett said.
Caleb Myre had already visited the memorial three times by Friday afternoon. The 16year-old said he lives just down the street from where the attack occurred and woke up to screaming Wednesday night.
“It’s just very shocking. I feel bad for the dad and family,” Myre said.
By late Friday afternoon as the sun set, Berrigan street showed no signs of the week’s attack, other than another collection of flowers and other tokens left in front of the house while a single police car stood watch.
Kodituwakku, the monastery director, said 20 members of its community had set up a GoFundMe page, co-ordinated by the temple, to provide financial support for the families of the victims. It had accumulated more than $70,000 by Friday evening.
Anoli Fernando donated and lives in Ottawa but has family ties to Sri Lanka.
Fernando said she doesn’t often donate to charities or causes and even though she didn’t know or have any familial connection, she felt the need to help where she could.
“I donated because it just hits close to home.”