Survivor of Barrhaven mass killing thanks mayor, community for support
The Ottawa man who survived a mass killing that left his family and a friend dead appeared publicly at this past weekend's Ottawa Race event.
Dhanushka Wickramasinghe was there to greet Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who participated in the marathon to help raise funds for the grieving father and husband.
"Thank you, thank you very much," Wickramasinghe said.
"I'm really, from the bottom of my heart, really thankful, not only [to the] mayor, [but] for everyone in [Ottawa]. They've been helping me out so much, so thank you."
On March 6, Wickramasinghe's wife and four kids, along with a family friend, were killed in their Barrhaven townhouse.
Wickramasinghe was injured but recovered in hospital, the lone survivor of the attack. A 19-year-old who had been living with the family is facing six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
On Sunday, Wickramasinghe presented Sutcliffe with his marathon medal and the two shared a hug.
Wickramasinghe gave Sutcliffe his marathon medal, too. (David Bates/CBC)
Wickramasinghe said he was "actually speechless" when he found out Sutcliffe was running for him.
Sutcliffe said he was inspired by Wickramasinghe's story, which prompted him to participate in the marathon despite his not being fully recovered from a previous race.
"He's been through an unimaginably tragic event and he's a wonderful person," Sutcliffe said of Wickramasinghe. "There are many people in our community who want to help him."
