A man has been charged with murder over the car-ramming attack at a festival in Vancouver that killed 11 people, including a five-year-old.
At least 20 other people were injured after a car ploughed into a crowd at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival at 8pm on Saturday.
Teacher and school counsellor Kira Salim has been identified as one of the 11 people killed. She worked at two schools in the New Westminster School District southeast of Vancouver, the district said in a statement issued on Monday, describing how her work and “great spirit” changed lives.
Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder, according to the Vancouver Police Department. More charges are expected, officials said.
Earlier, the city’s interim police chief Steve Rai said the man arrested over the incident was known to law enforcement and mental health professionals before the incident.
Mr Rai said the man in custody had “a significant history of interactions with police and healthcare professionals related to mental health” as police remained confident the incident was not an act of terrorism.
He called the incident the “darkest day in Vancouver’s history” and said it would be a “watershed moment” for operational changes in the city’s police department.
Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney said the nation was left “shocked, devastated and heartbroken” and cancelled final rallies in Calgary, Richmond and British Columbia ahead of the federal election on Monday.
What is the Lapu-Lapu Day?
Thousands had gathered in Vancouver to celebrate Lapu-Lapu Day before tragedy struck.
Here is what the day means for Filipinos around the world:
Teacher and school counsellor named as one of 11 people killed
A teacher and school counsellor has been identified as one of the 11 people killed when a driver plowed a sport-utility vehicle through a crowd at a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver over the weekend.
Kira Salim worked at two schools in the New Westminster School District southeast of Vancouver, the district said in a statement issued on Monday.
Salim “was a valued member of our community whose wisdom and care for our middle and secondary school students had a powerful impact,” the district’s superintendent and board chair wrote. “Their work, and the great spirit they brought to it, changed lives.”
Voting begins in Vancouver, just days after tragedy
Polling booths in Vancouver have opened just days after a tragedy took the lives of 11, including a five-year-old child.
Police charged 30-year-old Kai-Ji Adam Lo with eight counts of second-degree murder on Sunday afternoon, after a black SUV was driven through crowds gathered for the Lapu-Lapu festival.
The incident slowed what would have been a frenetic last day of campaigning ahead of the federal election, with Prime Minister Mark Carney cancelling some major rallies and attending a memorial service on Sunday morning.
Polling stations opened at 7am Pacific Time.
In pictures: vigil by candlelight for victims of Vancouver attack
On Sunday, family, friends and members of the community gathered at a makeshift memorial to remember the victims of the attack.
Eleven people were killed, including a five-year-old, while more than a dozen remain in hospital after a car rammed into festivalgoers in Vancouver on Saturday.
Police chief labels attack the ‘darkest day’ in Vancouver’s history
Vancouver’s interim police Chief Steve Rai labelled the attack which has left 11 dead and another 20 injured the “darkest day in the city’s history”.
He also said it would be a “watershed moment” for the city’s emergency responders, in a press conference on Sunday.
“It is hard to make sense of something so senseless, and I know there are questions about whether this tragedy could have been prevented,” Mr Rai said, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
He said the city would work to “review all of the circumstances surrounding the planning of this event.”
“The system had worked up to this point — but this will be a watershed moment for city operations, police, ambulance, and all stakeholders,” he said.
Watch: witnesses describe scenes after car ploughs through crowd
Witnesses have described the “terrible” scenes after a black SUV drove through a crowd at the Lapu-Lapu festival in Vancouver on Saturday, killing 11 and leaving more than a dozen in hospital.
Witness saw SUV driving ‘recklessly’ before Vancouver tragedy
An eyewitness says he saw a black SUV “driving recklessly” through Vancouver minutes before it ploughed into crowds at a Filipino festival, killingn 11 people and injuring many more.
Vancouver resident Colton told local radio station 730 CKNW run by Global News on Sunday that he saw the driver driving “too fast” through his neighbourhood.
“He was speeding down our side street and then turning onto our street, 43rd Avenue. And then, you know, I thought he was just a bad driver,” said Colton, whose surname was not published by the outlet.
He then saw the SUV make a u-turn and walked past the vehicle, but a minute or two later the car sped past, into the road closed to vehicles for the festival.
“There were so many people that were still walking on the street and just enjoying the evening,” he said.
Nearly 20 in hospital, some critical
Following the attack at the festival on Saturday evening, 32 patients were taken to hospital, including the 11 who died, the British Columbia Ministry of Health said.
The ministry confirmed with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday that 17 patients remained in hospital, including some in a serious condition and others in a critical condition.
Some of the patients were receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, the ministry said.
Philippine president shares ‘grief and anguish’ with Vancouver
Philippine president Bongbong Marcos has shared his condolences with the victims of a car ramming attack, which occurred during a Filipino festival in Vancouver on Saturday.
“On a day meant to honour the courage of Lapu-Lapu, our kababayans [compatriots] in Vancouver became victims of an unspeakable tragedy,” he said in a statement.
“As your President, and as a father, I share in your grief and your anguish. The lives lost will not be forgotten.”
Mr Marcos said the Filipino people stood together “in mourning, prayer, and in unwavering support”.
“We will do everything in our power to bring comfort, to bring help, and to honour their memory with action,” he said.
What we know about the attack so far
During a Lapu-Lapu Filipino festival in Vancouver on the weekend, a black SUV ploughed into the crowd killing 11 people and injuring dozens more. Here’s what we know so far.
- Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, was charged on Sunday afternoon with eight counts of second-degree murder. Vancouver police said more charges were possible.
- Eleven people were killed, and victims range in age from five to 65, police said, with not all victims identified yet.
- Vancouver police say the number of dead could rise in coming days and weeks, with some of the more than 20 injured people in a critical condition.
- Investigators ruled out terrorism as a motive, saying Lo had “a significant history” of interactions with police and mental health professionals
- Police chief Steve Rai said it was the “darkest day in Vancouver’s history”.
- The attack comes as Canadians head to the polls on Monday.
Source: independent.co.uk
