CNN
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A suspect has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder after a car plowed into a crowd at a street festival celebrating Filipino heritage in Vancouver on Saturday night killing at least 11 people in what police are calling “the darkest day” in the city’s history.
Some of those attending the festival helped chase down and detain the suspect, who police identified as Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, a Vancouver resident arrested at the scene who had a history of mental health-related interactions with authorities. He has appeared in court and remains in custody, Vancouver police said in a statement on Sunday.
Police said the ages of those killed range from five to 65. “Dozens more are injured, some critically, and some have not yet been identified,” Vancouver Police interim chief Steve Rai said in a Sunday press conference.
Further charges are anticipated in the case, according to police. The city of Vancouver announced the Canadian flag will be flown at half-mast at all City buildings until further notice to honour the victims.
The event on Saturday was intended as a celebration of culture and diversity, marking Lapu Lapu Day, an annual festival organized by British Columbia’s Filipino community and commemorating an Indigenous leader who fought against Spanish colonization.
Food trucks lined the street as performers broke out in traditional Filipino dance in the spring sunshine. Yet the family-friendly event ended in horror: one witness described it as like a war zone, with bodies seen lying in the street.
“The actions of a single person shattered our collective sense of safety. It is impossible to overstate how many lives have been impacted forever by this lone individual, Rai told reporters on Sunday.
No motive has been given, although police say there is no indication the incident was an act of terrorism.
“It would appear that mental health appears to be the underlying issue here,” Vancouver mayor Ken Sim said.
In a press briefing on Sunday morning local time, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “deeply heartbroken” over the attack – which came ahead of Monday’s election – while stressing authorities do not believe there is any “active threat” to Canadians.
Carney confirmed that nine people were killed and more than 20 were injured “in what Vancouver police are describing as a car ramming attack.”
He continued, “Last night, families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son or a daughter. Those families are living every families’ nightmare.”
The incident unfolded just after 8 p.m. local time when a man drove a black Audi SUV into a large crowd of people attending the Lapu Lapu Day Festival near East 43rd Avenue and Fraser Street,” police said. The male suspect, who is from Vancouver, was arrested at the scene.
Rai said the suspect was thought to have operated alone, was the sole occupant of the vehicle, and remains in custody. Police are not publicly identifying the suspect as he has not yet been charged.
The investigation, led the Vancouver Police Department’s Major Crime Section, is ongoing and police have asked members of the public to contact them with any information about the incident.
Eyewitnesses who attended the street festival described scenes of chaos.
“It’s something you don’t expect to see in your lifetime,” Kris Pangilinan, a Toronto-based journalist, told Canadian public broadcaster CBC. “[The driver] just slammed the pedal down and rammed into hundreds of people. It was like seeing a bowling ball hit — all the bowling pins and all the pins flying up in the air.”
He continued, “It was like a war zone… There were bodies all over the ground.”
Footage taken in the aftermath of the incident and geolocated by CNN showed a tree-lined street with food stalls on either side strewn with debris. Multiple people could be seen on the ground while emergency responders worked to provide them with medical aid.
Sirens could be heard in the distance as authorities asked people to keep the area clear.
A black SUV with a smashed front end sat in the middle of the road with the driver side door open as a police officer inspected the vehicle.
Reuters photos from the aftermath of the incident showed paramedics and ambulances at the scene, with police cordons visible.
The organizers of the street festival, a community group called Filipino BC, wrote in a statement on Instagram following the fatal incident: “We are still finding the words to express the deep heartbreak brought on by this senseless tragedy. We are devastated for the families and victims.”
“I have just such a sick feeling,” British Columbia Premier David Eby said at a press conference. “I don’t think there is a British Columbian that hasn’t been touched in some way by the Filipino community,” he told reporters in Vancouver, where authorities announced the Canadian flag will be flown at half-staff at city buildings.
Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, attended the festival but left moments before the incident. “I was just there, and I just imagine the faces of the kids that I saw smiling and dancing,” he told CTV News. “This is so horrific, I don’t even know what to say.”
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said those killed in the “unspeakable tragedy” would “not be forgotten” and that Filipino diplomats and staff in Vancouver have been instructed to assist the victims and coordinate with the Canadian authorities.
Saturday night’s attack comes seven years after a 25-year-old man plowed into pedestrians in Toronto, killing 10 people.
The tragedy happened close to Monday’s crucial federal election in Canada, and has raised questions about public safety and mental health in Vancouver.
Sim said he directed a full review of event safety measures following the deadly incident. “Our first priority is and will always be protecting the residents of Vancouver,” he told reporters, stressing that Vancouver “is still a safe city” where a “vast majority” of events happen without incident.
Rai said authorities had conducted a risk assessment prior to the festival, which was largely held on the grounds of a school that was not directly accessible through public roads. He added that they found no “threats to the event or to the Filipino community,” and decided that police officers and heavy vehicle barricades would not be deployed on site.
“While I’m confident the joint risk assessment and public safety plan was sound, we will be working with our partners at the City of Vancouver to review all of the circumstances surrounding the planning of this event,” the interim police chief said.
CNN”s Josh Campbell and Hira Humayun contributed reporting. This story has been updated.
