Neighbors reach out to help family of Ottawa stabbing victim

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Residents of the neighborhood where a mother of four was fatally stabbed in a playground on Thursday are devastated and angry, the community association president said on Saturday.

But they are also willing to help.

“There have been a lot of offers pouring in to help the family,” said Audrey Bélanger, president of the Hunt Club Community Association. As he spoke, residents continued to leave flowers at the memorial, which included signs and stuffed animals next to the playground where Brkti Berhe was stabbed Thursday morning.

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The association is collecting donations to help the woman’s family. “This is not the richest part of our neighborhood. We want to support the family,” Bélanger said.

Berhe’s two older children attend a nearby Catholic school. Bélanger said some parents with children at the school gathered on the playground Friday night and talked about how difficult it was for everyone to watch what Berhe’s children, their friends and classmates were going through.

Eyewitnesses said Berhe, 36, was fatally stabbed by a man who jumped out of the car and attacked him with a knife. While bystanders consoled Berhe as he lay dying, others looked after his two young children and three men chased the attacker’s car and took photographs.

Police called those actions heroic and said they helped them make a quick arrest on Highway 417 near Casselman, east of Ottawa, shortly after the attack.

Fsha Tekhle, 36, was charged with first-degree murder. Police said he had a domestic relationship with one of the victim’s family members and believed he was returning to Montreal when he was arrested.

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Despite the cold wind on Saturday, residents continued to stop in the park to pay their respects and leave flowers. Children were playing nearby.

Carlys Draper said she was driving through the area around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, shortly after the stabbing. He watched as a police officer put a blanket over Berhe’s body.

“There was a man looking at the body and another woman holding the head,” Draper said. “I am very sorry and hope that justice will be served.”

A vigil is planned for the area at 6pm on Tuesday at River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington said this was organized to help community members recover and provide support when needed, especially to those directly involved or assisting at the scene.

“This really means the community coming together and gaining strength,” Brockington said.

He said information will be available on how people who may need it can get professional help coping with trauma.

“The fact that this happened in a well-visited and beloved park enjoyed by families only adds to the horror of the incident,” Brockington said. “The violent nature of the incident further fuels the community response, including outpourings of grief, leaving flowers and offers of help from people who did not know the family but wanted to help make it better.”

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Some local residents choked up while describing the stabbing.

“This incident took place in a children’s playground. This breaks my heart,” said neighbor Lina Gosselin. “I was here with my grandson every day during the pandemic a few years ago and thought how sad it was for kids to witness this. “Such a thing should not happen in our country.”

Maria McRae, who previously served as a long-time city council member in the area and still lives nearby, said she went for a walk on Thursday and encountered police cars and emergency responders in the park.

“There are no words to describe how bad we felt when we found out what happened. This is such a terrible tragedy,” McRae said.

He said that he met a young man on the path behind the park, that he had just witnessed this sight and that he was so shaken that he wanted to talk about it. He said people in the neighborhood were devastated and traumatized by the stabbing.

McRae and others who came to the park on Saturday said they were pleased that police labeled Berhe’s killing a femicide to draw more attention to the killing of women because of their gender. It was the second time in three months that the Ottawa Police Service had used the term.

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“That’s an appropriate word,” McRae said. “As a society, we must do better. I think it’s helpful to talk about it, and I think it’s helpful to have an appropriate word to describe it. We must talk about femicide. “The year is 2024. We still have a long way to go.”

Deputy Chief Constable Trish Ferguson posted the following on social media platform Femicide and Violence Against Women are epidemic in Canada. Shameful.”

Bélanger, of the community association, said he also heard anger from residents about the femicide.

“I hope femicide will be discussed,” he said. “I think the local residents did their heroic best to support Berhe (at the scene) and the family. Now the community wants to know what else will be done at a higher level. “It feels like it doesn’t belong in 2024.”

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