On April 5, 1996 the estranged husband of Rajwar Gakhal entered the residence of the Gakhal family in Vernon, BC and methodically gunned down eleven members of the Gakhal and Saran families, nine of whom died of their wounds while two, a six year old girl and a sixty year old woman, were to recover from their wounds.
This was the second worst mass murder in Canadian History, second only to the murder of fourteen female engineering students at a Montreal university, by a gunman who then killed himself. The shooter, Marc Chahal of Vancouver, also later killed himself.
Each year since the massacre, a candlelight vigil has been held at the memorial to honor the victims. Prior to the 2011 vigil, which was held on Tuesday, April 5th, 15 years after the incident, the Vernon Morning Star published an article apprising readers of its upcoming date. The article is reprinted in part below.
The full story of the massacre can be found at
Murderpedia
This concrete memorial honoring the nine victims was erected by their families and the citizens of Vernon. It contains bronze plaques bearing the name and a short biography of each of the victims.