Vigil for mother, daughter killed at home in Ottawa's Alta Vista neighbourhood
One by one, mourners lined up patiently to lay flowers at the home of 50-year-old Anne-Marie Ready and 15-year-old Jasmine Ready.
The mother and daughter died from stab wounds following an incident at an Alta Vista home Monday night. A loss that continues to leave many in disbelief and shock.
Among the flowers were two black belts, a tribute from members of the Douvris Martial Arts dojo where Anne-Marie and Jasmine trained.
"These were beautiful women who were murdered," said Naomi Eberhard, who trained with the Readys. "And they are an extremely important part of our community. I’ve never seen them without a smile on their face, they were so full of joy constantly."
Just two weeks ago, Anne-Marie and Jasmine received their black belt.
"We had been training together for three years and in the last six months you get to know people pretty well," said Michael Penny, who also received his black belt. "We wanted to be here today to show her other family her karate family is here to support her.”
On Saturday, Alta Vista neighbours organized the memorial starting at Edgehill Park before walking to the Ready family’s home on Anoka Street.
"I didn’t know them personally but I think any time there’s a tragedy like this we all feel it. A mother and daughter were lost here," said Cheshmak Farhoumand-Sims, who helped organize the vigil.
Anne-Marie Ready worked as a trade commissioner with Global Affairs Canada. Those who knew her describe Ready as someone who had a good sense of humour and made everyone feel welcome.
"In a nutshell, an amazing human being, someone that cared about others," said Anand Harrilall, who spoke to CTV News from Guyana. "I can’t really grasp that she’s really gone."
A trait many say she passed along to her daughters Jasmine and Catherine.
"All three girls were just a beautiful ray of sunshine… very welcoming and friendly," said neighbour Jacqueline Tokarew.
"It’s really overwhelming just how many people they touched and how much impact a family can have in all aspects of their lives," said Jana Marcoux, a friend of Catherine Ready.
A GoFundMe page has been set up through the dojo. Several in attendance wore purple or green to raise awareness of gender-based violence and mental health.
"Three women’s lives forever changed, two of them no longer with us and our health system including our mental health system is broken and we need to fix that or we will see this again and that is not okay," said Eberhard.
Nineteen-year-old Catherine Ready, Anne-Marie Ready's daughter, was seriously injured and remains in hospital. The Special Investigations Unit says police saw a man stabbing a woman when they arrived on the scene, and she was struck by police gunfire.
The Special Investigations Unit hasn't identified the 21-year-old man shot dead by responding Ottawa police officers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.