Vancouver: At least 11 people have died and several others were injured after an SUV drove into a crowd celebrating the Lapu Lapu Filipino festival in Vancouver, Canada, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said Monday (Indian time).
The police stated that the suspect, identified as 30-year-old Kai-Ji Adam Lo, has been charged with murder. The black SUV was driven into the street festival of the Filipino community at E. 41st Avenue and Fraser Street shortly after 8pm Sunday (Indian time).
“Eleven people have now died as a result of the mass-casualty event at the Lapu Lapu Day Festival. Our hearts are with all of the victims, their loved ones, and everyone who has been impacted by this act of violence. This is the darkest day in our city’s history,” the police department said in a statement.
Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai revealed that the driver has a significant history of interactions with police and healthcare professionals related to mental health.
“A suspect has been charged with murder in the death of multiple festival-goers at a Filipino community block party Saturday night. Eleven people, aged 5 to 65, were killed, and more than two dozen others injured when a man drove an SUV into a crowd of people celebrating the Lapu Lapu Day festival, near Fraser Street on East 43rd Avenue,” the statement added.
According to the police, the 30-year-old Vancouver man was arrested at the scene after bystanders and witnesses intervened to detain him.
“The BC Prosecution Service has now charged Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, with eight counts of second-degree murder. Lo, a Vancouver resident, has appeared in court and remains in custody. The charge assessment is ongoing, and further charges are anticipated,” the statement read.
Police said some of the victims in Saturday’s mass-casualty incident remain unidentified. VPD has established a 24-hour assistance centre at the Douglas Park Community Centre, 801 West 22nd Avenue, for anyone who has not been able to contact a friend or family member.
The VPD also urged witnesses who have not yet come forward to contact the Vancouver Police Department’s Homicide Unit and speak with investigators.
Anyone with images or bystander video of the incident has been asked to upload it to an online portal so it can be reviewed by investigators.
The Lapu Lapu Day, named after a Filipino indigenous leader who fought against Spanish colonisation in the 16th century, received official recognition from the province of British Columbia in 2023 and is broadly celebrated by the Filipino community in the region, where Vancouver serves as the largest city.
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