OTTAWA, CANADA – The tranquility of Ottawa’s suburban Barrhaven neighborhood was shattered when local law enforcement discovered six bodies, four of them children, in a residence. Another individual was found seriously injured and is currently under medical care.
The Ottawa police were summoned to the Barrhaven home late Wednesday evening. The scene that met them was one of tragedy and loss. A suspect was apprehended soon after, and authorities have assured residents that there is no further danger to the community.
The cause of death for the six victims remains undisclosed. In a radio interview, Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs dismissed domestic or intimate partner violence as a potential cause. The nature of the relationship between the suspect and the victims is, however, still under scrutiny.
The identities of the victims, as well as the details of the injured individual, have not been released. The police are continuing their investigation and have requested any information that could aid their homicide unit.
The crime scene, a brick townhouse in a row of similar homes, was a hive of activity on Thursday morning. Forensic teams in white suits were observed entering and exiting the property as local residents, including school-going children and their parents, walked by.
Ahmed Saed, a local resident who walks his son to school past the house, expressed his shock at the incident. “This is unbelievable for the whole neighborhood,” he said. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe echoed this sentiment, calling the incident “one of the most shocking incidents of violence in our city’s history.”