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The Hunt Club community came together Tuesday evening to mourn the loss of Brkti Berhe, 36, who was stabbed to death on a playground last week.

More than 100 people, most huddled under umbrellas, gathered at Paul Landry Park on Uplands Drive, the site of the tragic event, for a vigil organized by Ottawa’s River Ward councilor Riley Brockington.

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Police and city councilors were in attendance, along with community groups offering support. Many people held candles and flowers, some crying as they listened to community members’ speeches and paid their respects.

“What happened here was horrible,” Brockington said, adding that he plans to meet with Berhe’s family later this week. “It was shocking and painful, but remember, this is your neighborhood and your park.”

Brockington said the innocence of the community and the park had been shattered by “this heinous, horrible act” and that the community was mourning the loss of Berhe, commiserating with his family and “trying to make sense of what happened.” has passed.”

Berhe, mother of four children aged eight months, three, 10 and 15 years old, was at the park with the two youngest on the morning of October 24 when, according to eyewitnesses, a man jumped from a car and attacked. with a knife.

He then got back into the car and drove away while bystanders cared for Berhe’s children and comforted the dying women. Several men photographed the vehicle, which police say helped them make a quick arrest on Highway 417 near Casselman a short time later.

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Fsha Tekhle, 36, has been charged with first-degree murder. Ottawa police said he had a domestic relationship with a member of Berhe’s family and believed he was returning to Montreal when he was arrested.

Berhe’s murder has been called a femicide, the second time in three months that the Ottawa Police Service has used the term.

Yami Msosa, executive director of the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women, said femicide was a pervasive problem and “we cannot look away from experiences of violence.

“Survivors, families and frontline workers have been advocating for system change for decades and decades and I think today the community has come together…you see the impact that had femicide, and I think it’s really important to really center healing and community. right now because people are grieving and this could have been avoided. Femicides are preventable.

Since last week, a memorial erected on a rock in Paul Landry Park has continued to grow.

A work of art titled “Peace Pebbles” with rocks painted in the shape of a heart lay on the floor of the memorial Tuesday. According to the Hunt Club Community Association, the initiative was started by a group of women, children and youth “who courageously came together to collectively heal from the loss of a beloved mother in our community.”

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Barb Wilson, who has lived in the community for 35 years, said the tragedy was “really hard,” especially since she remembers passing Berhe at a local store.

“This neighborhood is really quiet, peaceful, no violence,” Wilson said, adding that she had just gotten home from work last week when she learned via text that someone had been stabbed to death in her backyard. “It’s just tragic that a woman lost her life. Another woman lost her life and she has children.

In a statement read by his brother, Paul Landry said his thoughts were with Berhe’s family, the child witnesses and the families bereaved by this tragedy. Landry was Canada Post’s first deaf mail carrier and a successful runner nationally.

“We are deeply saddened to know that a life was lost so needlessly in a place named in honor of perseverance and dedication to the community,” the statement said, adding that Landry hoped safety and security could be restored in time so that people can have fun. and enjoy the park again. “We hope that Berhe’s family and friends will find their own way to persevere through such a devastating loss and that the community will come together to support them during this difficult time.” »

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A GoFundMe campaign launched to support Berhe’s family received more than $15,200 in donations from Tuesday. His goal is $50,000.

Campaign organizer Luwam Kidane spoke at the vigil and said Berhe was “a beautiful mother of four beautiful children and an extraordinary wife to her husband.”

“This was a great loss for our community,” Kidane said. “We will always remember her.”

The Hunt Club Community Association is directing all donations it receives until further notice to the GoFundMe campaign. On its Facebook page, the association also called on the public to support the family by donating items such as baby wipes, formula, toys and snacks.

It says family members receive help with child care and meal preparation from the local Ethiopian community, but that these items “will provide additional comfort and support to help alleviate stress during this period.”

Berhe’s family asked for respect for his privacy.

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