'They were loved': Trudeau mourns Muslim family
'They were loved': Trudeau mourns Muslim family
Joining thousands of mourners, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended a vigil Tuesday evening to remember three generations of a Canadian Muslim family who were killed in what police said was a premeditated hate crime.
Colette Luke has more.
'They were loved': Trudeau mourns Muslim family
JUSTIN TRUDEAU: “They were loved.
I know they will be so deeply missed." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined several thousand mourners in a vigil Tuesday evening in London, Ontario to remember three generations of a Canadian Muslim family killed in what police said was a premeditated hate crime.
"To this community, which has made London stronger for generations, and to all Muslim Canadians, we are with you.” On Sunday, four members of the Afzaal family were killed as they were out on an evening walk near their home in London, Ontario.
Police say a man rammed them with his pick-up truck, targeting them because of their religion.
The victims were the parents, their 15-year-old daughter and their 74-year-old grandmother.
Their 9-year-old son remained hospitalized on Tuesday with serious but non-life-threatening injuries in stable condition.20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman who is white has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
He was arrested on Sunday in a parking lot wearing a body-armor type of vest about three-tenths of a mile from the London Muslim Mosque, which the Afzaal family attended and where Tuesday's vigil was held.
Canada's opposition leader, Erin O'Toole, other political leaders including NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, the first person of color to lead a federal political party in Canada, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford also attended the vigil.
Omar Khamissa is the community engagement officer with the National Council of Canadian Muslims: “They were just out for a walk, minding their own business after dinner on Sunday evening.
And a man filled with hate, anger, vengeance decided to run them over.... This is a horrific attack and we, as our souls are numb, are numb, we are hurt, we are in pain.
We are sad.
We don't even know how to process this." The attack has caused a nationwide outpouring of grief, with similar vigils taking place in Toronto, Vancouver and other cities across Canada.
London, a city of about 400,000 people, has a large Muslim community and at least three mosques.