Authorities in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, are looking into the demise of four children and two adults discovered in a residence in the city’s southern region. A seventh individual has been hospitalised with severe, albeit non-life-threatening, injuries.
The police responded to a distress call from a dwelling in the Barrhaven neighbourhood around 11 p.m. local time on Wednesday. Not long after, a suspect was apprehended, and the police reassured the public that there was no current threat to their safety. The method of the victims’ deaths was not promptly revealed.
Eric Stubbs, the Chief of police in Ottawa, relayed to local radio stations his belief that the deaths did not stem from domestic or intimate partner violence. Although authorities are still trying to establish the connection between the victims and the suspect. He described the situation on the ground as a “very tragic scene”.
Neither the identities of the deceased nor the particulars of the individual hospitalised have been divulged. The authorities requested the public to provide any relevant information to the homicide unit, as investigative units continued to work at the crime scene.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe of Ottawa expressed his dismay at the disturbing news, stating, “The multiple homicide in Barrhaven was one of the most shocking displays of violence in our city’s annals.” Speaking on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, he added, “While we pride ourselves on living in a secure community, this news has unsettled all Ottawa inhabitants.”