A family of five Muslims out for an evening early summer stroll were mowed down by a driver in an ``act of mass murder,'' the mayor of London, Ont., said on Monday.
The horrific incident on Sunday evening left four of them dead and a boy with serious injuries, police said.
``Words fail on a day as dark as this but words matter,'' Mayor Ed Holder said. ``This was an act of mass murder perpetrated against Muslims, against Londoners, and rooted in unspeakable hatred.''
A 20-year-old city man was arrested in the parking lot of a mall seven kilometres away. He now faces four counts of first-degree murder and one of attempted murder, police said.
Police Chief Steve Williams said relatives had asked no names be released but identified the four victims as a 74-year-old woman, a 46-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl. A nine-year-old boy was in hospital in serious condition.
``We believe that this was an intentional act and that the victims of this horrific incident were targeted … because of their Islamic faith,'' Williams said. ``All of the victims in this matter are members of the same family.''