Police in Canada said they have ruled out terrorism as a motivator after a man drove into a crowd at a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver on Saturday night, killing 11 people and injuring dozens of others.
Vancouver Police Interim Chief Steve Rai told a news conference on Sunday afternoon that the suspect detained in connection with the incident at the Lapu Lapu Day festival has a history of mental health issues.
“While I’m not prepared to speak about the potential motive, I can now say with confidence that the evidence in this case does not lead us to believe this was an act of terrorism,” he said. “I can also tell you that the person we have in custody does have a significant history of interactions with police and health care professionals related to mental health.”
Rich Lam/The Canadian Press via AP)
Rai, who said they expect the number of dead to rise in the coming days or weeks, called the incident a “senseless, heartbreaking act of violence.”
“This is the darkest day in our city’s history,” he said.
A Vancouver man, identified as 30-year-old Kai-Ji Adam Lo, was arrested after a vehicle entered the street at 8:14 p.m. local time on Saturday and struck people attending the festival, the Vancouver Police Department said. At an earlier news conference, Rai said the suspect was arrested after initially being apprehended by bystanders.
Lo has been charged with eight counts of second degree murder, police said Sunday, adding that “further charges are anticipated.”
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Video circulating on social media shows a young man in a black hoodie with his back against a chain link fence, alongside a security guard and surrounded by bystanders screaming and swearing at him.
“I’m sorry,” the man says, holding his hand to his head.
The festival was being held in a South Vancouver neighborhood. Video posted on social media showed victims and debris strewn across a long stretch of road, with at least seven people lying immobile on the ground. A black SUV with a crumpled front section could be seen in still photos from the scene.
James Cruzat, a Vancouver business owner, was at the event and heard a car rev its engine and then “a loud noise, like a loud bang” that he initially thought might be a gunshot.
“We saw people on the road crying, others were like running, shouting, or even screaming, asking for help. So we tried to go there just to check what was really actually happening until we found some bodies on the ground. Others were lifeless, others like, you know, injured,” Cruzat said.
“It was terrible to see that kind of incident, that situation. It was heartbreaking,” Cruzat said. “I couldn’t even imagine that it’s actually happening in real life, because normally we see that on TVs or movies. But when you are in that kind of situation, it was really shocking. … You couldn’t do anything but to pray for them.”
Vancouver Mayor Kenneth Sim said in a social media post that the city would provide more information when possible.
“I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event,” Sim said. “Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time.”
Lapu Lapu Day festival
Vancouver had more than 38,600 residents of Filipino heritage in 2021, representing 5.9% of the city’s total population, according to Statistics Canada, the agency that conducts the national census.
Lapu Lapu Day celebrates Datu Lapu-Lapu, an Indigenous chieftain who stood up to Spanish explorers who came to the Philippines in the 16th century. The organizers of the Vancouver event said he “represents the soul of native resistance, a powerful force that helped shape the Filipino identity in the face of colonization.”
Rich Lam/The Canadian Press via AP
Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Canadian political figures posted messages expressing shock at the violence, condolences for victims and support for the community celebrating its heritage at the festival.
“I offer my deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver. We are all mourning with you,” Carney wrote.
“As we wait to learn more, our thoughts are with the victims and their families — and Vancouver’s Filipino community, who were coming together today to celebrate resilience,” wrote Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, who was at the festival earlier in the day.
“My thoughts are with the Filipino community and all the victims targeted by this senseless attack. Thank you to the first responders who are at the scene as we wait to hear more,” Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre wrote.
David Eby, the premier of British Columbia, the province where Vancouver is located, said he was shocked and heartbroken. “We are in contact with the City of Vancouver and will provide any support needed,” Eby wrote.
