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An empty grey stroller, surrounded by police tape in a suburban park, marked the place Thursday where an Ottawa mother was stabbed to death in a scene of stark horror.
The woman, who had yet to be identified as of late afternoon, had been with her two children Thursday morning in Paul Landry Park on Uplands Drive when a man leapt from a car, ran at the woman and began to attack her.
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One witness account, shared with the Citizen, said the man repeatedly stabbed the woman before slashing at her neck. He then ran back to his car and drove away.
A second woman protected the victim’s children, while a third tended to the dying woman.
Ottawa police later arrested a suspect on Highway 417, near Casselman, about 50 kilometres east of the city. He had yet to be identified as of late afternoon.
The Ottawa Police Service homicide unit was investigating the slaying, which occurred at 11:26 a.m.
Paul Landry Park features a large children’s play structure, benches and picnic tables. It is surrounded by townhouses and high-rise apartment buildings that play host to a large community of immigrants. It was believed the woman lived in one of the highrises on Uplands Drive.
Neighbours expressed shock and horrification at the sudden eruption of violence in their quiet, suburban neighbourhood. “This is normally a very peaceful neighbourhood,” Celsa Barnhardt said. “I could never imagine this kind of violence taking place here.”
The homicide bore the hallmarks of a domestic killing.
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