Barrhaven homicide 'largest murder' in recent Ottawa history: A look at past multiple homicides

Ottawa's police chief says Wednesday's mass killing in Barrhaven appears to have the highest death toll of any mass killing in the city of Ottawa's modern history.

"It certainly is in recent memory and we have some people who've worked in Ottawa for over 30 years and in that time period, they haven't seen one as significant as this," he told a news conference Thursday afternoon.

A mother and her four young children and a family acquaintance living with them were killed Wednesday night at a home on Berrigan Drive. A seventh person, the father of the children, was injured. One person, Febrio De-Zoysa, 19, is facing six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

The number of victims in this event is unprecedented in recent decades.

Here is a list of some other high-profile multiple homicides in recent history.

Sept. 2, 2023:

Two men were killed and six others were injured in a shooting at wedding reception at the Infinity Convention Centre. Police said approximately 50 bullets were sprayed into the crowd. Said Mohamed Ali, 26, and Abdishakur Abdi-Dahir, 29, both of Toronto, were killed in the shooting. Police said the men were not believed to be the shooter's intended targets.

Oct. 6, 2022:

Two Ottawa men were shot and killed in a plaza near Tompkins Avenue and Tenth Line Road in Orléans. A third person was treated for injuries in hospital. The victims were identified as Krishel Kanin Murphy-Nimblett, 28, and Mohamed Omar Mohamed, 23.

June 27, 2022:

Anne-Marie Ready, 50, and her daughter Jasmine Ready, 15, were stabbed to death at their Alta Vista home. Catherine Ready, 19, was injured. Anne-Marie worked as a trade commissioner with Global Affairs Canada. The killer, Joshua Graves, was shot dead by police at the scene.

May 28, 2021:

Ottawa police responded to reports of gunshots outside a strip mall on Alta Vista Drive, where two brothers, Abdulaziz Abdullah, 34, and Mohamad Abdullah, 27, both of Ottawa, were found dead. A third victim was injured. Three suspects were identified in the killings.

Jan. 14, 2013:

Alison Constance Easton, 40, and two children, Jon Alexander Corchis, 10 and Katheryn Elizabeth Corchis, 6, were found in Stittsville when the children's father returned home. Their deaths were considered a case of murder-suicide.

November 21, 2007

Four family members died in a murder-suicide at a home in the southeast end of the city. Ottawa police said Santbir Brar killed his wife and two daughters, before taking his own life.

June 30, 2007:

The bodies of retired tax judge Alban Garon, 77 his wife Raymonde Garon, 73, and their neighbour, Marie-Claire Beniskos, 78, were found dead in a condominium on Riverside Drive. In 2017, Ian Bush was convicted on three counts of first-degree murder in their deaths.

April 2, 2006:

Francine Mailly and her three young children — Kevin, Brandon, and Jessica — were killed in their Ottawa home before Frank Mailly, the estranged husband and father, set it ablaze. Police said they later found a note in Mailly's van that detailed his plan to kill his family. Mailly died of the injuries he sustained in the fire.

April 6, 1999:

Pierre Lebrun, a former OC Transpo employee, opened fire inside OC Transpo headquarters on St. Laurent Boulevard, killing four people. Two other people were injured. Lebrun took his own life.

Dec. 22, 1963:

Four people, two men and two women, were shot to death in a rectory of a church on Argyle Avenue, in what would be dubbed as the "Christmas massacre". Police said at the time it was the result of a robbery. Réginald Binette, 17 at the time, was convicted of the crime.