Four members of a Muslim family were killed and a child injured Sunday evening June 6 in an attack “Premeditated” by a man driving a van in a town in southern Ontario, local police said Monday (June 7).
The suspect, a 20-year-old man, was arrested shortly after the fact and charged with four premeditated murders and one attempted murder. “There is evidence that this was a premeditated and planned act, motivated by hate. We believe the victims were targeted because they were Muslims ”, said Paul Waight, investigator for the London Police Department, where the attack took place on Sunday evening.
“This is a mass murder perpetrated against Muslims, responded the Mayor of London, Ed Holder. The extent of such unspeakable hatred can make us question who we were as a city. ” City of London Police said the victims were two women aged 74 and 44, a 46-year-old man and a 15-year-old teenager. The fifth member of the family, aged 9, is hospitalized in serious condition.
“We understand that this event can cause fear and concern, especially in the Muslim community, in any community targeted by hatred.”, said local police chief Stephen Williams.