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The deadly attack where an SUV drove through a crowd at a Filipino street festival in Vancouver has sent shock waves through the country and upended the final day of the federal election campaign. Here are the latest developments (all times PT):
5:50 p.m.
Mourners of Saturday night’s attack packed the gymnasium at Vancouver’s Kensington community centre.
Mayor Ken Sim, Premier David Eby and several other elected officials are in attendance, including NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who had left the festival shortly before the attack.
Hundreds gathered outside the community centre and trickled out of the gym to place flowers on a table set up for a planned vigil.
5 p.m.
Vancouver police say the BC Prosecution Service has charged 30-year-old Adam Kai-Ji Lo with eight counts of second-degree murder after the attack that killed 11 people.
Police say Lo remains in custody “and further charges are anticipated.”
A statement from police says some of the victims in the mass-casualty incident remain unidentified.
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2:15 p.m.
Interim Police Chief Steve Rai says there was nothing in the intelligence gathered ahead of the festival to suggest that it was a high-risk event that would require extra levels of protection like barriers.
Rai says it’s standard for police to review events for possible risks, and in this case the festival was found to be a “family-friendly cultural event” with no history that raised any red flags. He says last year’s festival had no incidents
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2 p.m.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says he has ordered a review of the city’s safety protocols at events. Sim says it appears that “mental health is the underlying issue” in the attack.
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1:30 p.m.
Hip-hop artist Jacob Bureros says he barely slept after witnessing the SUV drive through a crowd of people at the Lapu Lapu Day festival on Saturday.
Following a church service at St. Mary the Virgin South Hill Church on Sunday, Bureros says he had just finished performing at the event when the attack happened.
He says the car sped up, hitting several people before coming to a stop, adding that he watched the suspect run from the car, so he and others cornered him until police arrived.
He recalled the aftermath, including seeing “many bodies” of those who had been hit lying in the street, including two dead children.
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1 p.m.
Vancouver resident Susie Fitz-James says she burst into tears when she heard about the attack Sunday morning.
Standing outside St. Mary the Virgin South Hill Church after Sunday service, Fitz-James says she was terrified and in disbelief upon hearing the news.
She says she had attended the Lapu Lapu Day event with her daughter, but they had left hours before the SUV drove through the crowd.
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1 p.m.
Vancouver Deputy Chief Const. Steve Rai says the death toll of 11 people could rise after many injured were taken to nine hospitals throughout the Lower Mainland.
He says a black Audi SUV sped down a street that had been designated for food trucks just as the festival was wrapping up in a South Vancouver.
Rai says the 30-year-old suspect from Vancouver has a significant history with police, who have had contact with him over mental health issues.
While a motive isn’t known, he says police were confident terrorism was not involved.
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1 p.m.
Vancouver police say a risk assessment conducted on the Lapu Lapu festival by police before Saturday’s vehicle attack showed no indication that more needed to be done.
Deputy Chief Const. Steve Rai says however that the attack will change the landscape in the way police assess such events.
Rai says the festival was just wrapping up when the SUV raced down a street that had been set aside for food trucks.
B.C. Emergency Health Services says its ambulances took 26 patients to hospital in conditions “ranging from critical to serious.”
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12:30 p.m.
British Columbia Premier David Eby went to the scene of the attack Sunday and says he has a “sick feeling” thinking about the impacts the attack has had on the Filipino community.
Eby began a news conference with a shaking voice, saying he had attended the celebration the day before with his daughter.
He says British Columbians “have a right to be angry,” noting that there are still many questions about the attack and why it happened.
However, the premier says the province’s current focus is around supporting victims and their families.
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11:35 a.m.
World leaders are speaking out about the attack, offering statements of condolence, grief and support to Canada and its Filipino community.
French President Emmanuel Macron made a post on X saying he extends France’s solidarity with Canadians and the Filipino community, and that his country’s “thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.”
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainians “deeply share the pain of Canadians, Vancouver residents, and the Canadian Filipino community” and urged all to stay strong.
King Charles III and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made similar statements earlier in the day.
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10:25 a.m.
Provincial legislator Mable Elmore, who is of Filipino heritage, says the community is grieving and heartbroken about the attack that occurred steps away from her office.
She told a news briefing the community is “collectively shattered” but coming together in the wake of the tragedy.
Filipino community organizer RJ Aquino told the briefing he’s feeling numb, sad and angry after the attack.
Aquino, who is chair of the group Filipino BC, says the focus needs to be on providing support to victims.
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9:30 a.m.:
Vancouver’s interim police chief says the death toll in the attack has risen to 11 and could increase further, with dozens of people injured.
Steve Rai says the victims are of all ages, including “young people,” and it’s the “darkest day” in the city’s history.
Rai says the 30-year-old man arrested after the attack has a history of interactions with police as well as mental health professionals, and he’s confident terrorism was not a motive.
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9 a.m.:
Bunches of flowers and other tributes are starting to pile up near the scene of the attack in South Vancouver.
The tributes are being made at police barricades that have sealed off a long section of Fraser Street from West 41st Avenue.
There’s a heavy police presence, with pedestrians being turned away as they try to head down the main thoroughfare of Fraser Street.
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7:15 a.m.:
Prime Minister Mark Carney has held a press conference in Hamilton to address the tragedy.
Carney briefly paused his election campaign to offer condolences, saying the loved ones of the victims are “living every family’s nightmare.”
He says Canadians are shocked, devastated and heartbroken by the violent attack that took place at an event aimed at celebrating the vibrancy of the Filipino-Canadian community.
Carney says he joins all Canadians in mourning with the Filipino community, and the broader communities of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2025.
The Canadian Press
