Apr 28, 2025 02:56 PM
(This post was last modified: Apr 28, 2025 04:16 PM by C C.)
In the country below Canada, motor vehicles are involved in between 40 and 50 thousand deaths a year. Similar to that of guns (26,000 gun suicides and 21,000 gun homicides for 2021).
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Murder charges filed against suspect in ramming attack on Vancouver street festival that killed 11 (excerpts): Murder charges were filed Sunday against a suspect in a car ramming attack that killed 11 people between the ages of 5 and 65 at a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver.
The British Columbia Prosecution Service charged Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, with eight counts of second-degree murder and said more charges were possible. Lo, a Vancouver resident, appeared in court and remains in custody, prosecutors said.
Dozens of others were injured, some critically, as the tragedy shook the country before a federal election. Authorities had not released victims' names by Sunday evening.
A man driving a black Audi SUV entered the street just after 8 p.m. Saturday and struck people attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival. A Vancouver man was arrested and police said he had mental health issues.
“It is the darkest day in Vancouver’s history,” Police Interim Chief Steve Rai told a news conference. Investigators ruled out terrorism. “The person we have in custody does have a significant history of interactions with police and health care professionals related to mental health," he said.
Video of the aftermath shows the dead and injured along a narrow street in South Vancouver lined by food trucks. The front of the driver's SUV is smashed in.
Kris Pangilinan, who brought his pop-up clothing and lifestyle booth to the festival, saw the vehicle enter past the barricade slowly before the driver slammed on the gas in an area that was packed with people after a concert. He said hearing the sounds of bodies hitting the vehicle will never leave his mind.
[...] Pangilinan said that it would be hard to believe “that someone has some malice against the Filipino people.” [...] 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 — which was in its second year — said that he “represents the soul of native resistance, a powerful force that helped shape the Filipino identity in the face of colonization.”
Eby said the province won't let the tragedy define the celebration. He urged people to channel their rage into helping those affected.
“I don’t think there is a British Columbian that hasn't been touched in some way by the Filipino community," he said. "You can’t go to a place that delivers and not meet a member of that community in the long-term care home or hospitals, childcare or schools. This is a community that gives and gives and yesterday was a celebration of their culture.”
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued a statement expressing sympathy with the victims and their families. “The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver is working with Canadian authorities to ensure that the incident will be thoroughly investigated, and that the victims and their families are supported and consoled,” he said.
The country's Department of Foreign Affairs said that “we remember the 1 million strong Filipino community in Canada and pray for their continued strength and resilience.”
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Kai-Ji Adam Lo: What we know about Vancouver festival suspect after 11 killed (excerpt): Interim police chief Steve Rai said the person in custody was a lone male who was “known to police in certain circumstances” but it would be “unfair” to make comments on whether he was on bail.
He had “a significant history of interactions with police and healthcare professionals related to mental health”.
“It is hard to make sense of something so senseless," the interim police chief said, “and I know there are questions about whether this tragedy could have been prevented.”
Mayor Ken Sim also said Lo had a long history of interactions related to mental health with first responders.
Lo did not have previous criminal charges against him, but a troubled family history. His brother was murdered last year, and Lo condemned the “senseless act of violence” when he launched a GoFundMe donation campaign.
His brother was found dead on 28 January 2024 in a home 2km from where the family lived, the Globe and Mail reported. A suspect in the case, Dwight William Kematch, 39, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
A few months later, in August, he reportedly again asked for donations, this time for his mother who had attempted suicide and needed hospitalization for a month. A relative of Lo had contacted a local hospital’s psychiatric ward barely hours before the attack because of his worsening mental health, Vancouver Sun reported.
The incident occurred less than 48 hours before Canada’s federal election on Monday. Police said there was no suggestion at the moment of a connection between the incident and the election.
In the wake of the incident, prime minister Mark Carney canceled a campaign event and two major rallies.
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Murder charges filed against suspect in ramming attack on Vancouver street festival that killed 11 (excerpts): Murder charges were filed Sunday against a suspect in a car ramming attack that killed 11 people between the ages of 5 and 65 at a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver.
The British Columbia Prosecution Service charged Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, with eight counts of second-degree murder and said more charges were possible. Lo, a Vancouver resident, appeared in court and remains in custody, prosecutors said.
Dozens of others were injured, some critically, as the tragedy shook the country before a federal election. Authorities had not released victims' names by Sunday evening.
A man driving a black Audi SUV entered the street just after 8 p.m. Saturday and struck people attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival. A Vancouver man was arrested and police said he had mental health issues.
“It is the darkest day in Vancouver’s history,” Police Interim Chief Steve Rai told a news conference. Investigators ruled out terrorism. “The person we have in custody does have a significant history of interactions with police and health care professionals related to mental health," he said.
Video of the aftermath shows the dead and injured along a narrow street in South Vancouver lined by food trucks. The front of the driver's SUV is smashed in.
Kris Pangilinan, who brought his pop-up clothing and lifestyle booth to the festival, saw the vehicle enter past the barricade slowly before the driver slammed on the gas in an area that was packed with people after a concert. He said hearing the sounds of bodies hitting the vehicle will never leave his mind.
[...] Pangilinan said that it would be hard to believe “that someone has some malice against the Filipino people.” [...] 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 — which was in its second year — said that he “represents the soul of native resistance, a powerful force that helped shape the Filipino identity in the face of colonization.”
Eby said the province won't let the tragedy define the celebration. He urged people to channel their rage into helping those affected.
“I don’t think there is a British Columbian that hasn't been touched in some way by the Filipino community," he said. "You can’t go to a place that delivers and not meet a member of that community in the long-term care home or hospitals, childcare or schools. This is a community that gives and gives and yesterday was a celebration of their culture.”
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued a statement expressing sympathy with the victims and their families. “The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver is working with Canadian authorities to ensure that the incident will be thoroughly investigated, and that the victims and their families are supported and consoled,” he said.
The country's Department of Foreign Affairs said that “we remember the 1 million strong Filipino community in Canada and pray for their continued strength and resilience.”
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Kai-Ji Adam Lo: What we know about Vancouver festival suspect after 11 killed (excerpt): Interim police chief Steve Rai said the person in custody was a lone male who was “known to police in certain circumstances” but it would be “unfair” to make comments on whether he was on bail.
He had “a significant history of interactions with police and healthcare professionals related to mental health”.
“It is hard to make sense of something so senseless," the interim police chief said, “and I know there are questions about whether this tragedy could have been prevented.”
Mayor Ken Sim also said Lo had a long history of interactions related to mental health with first responders.
Lo did not have previous criminal charges against him, but a troubled family history. His brother was murdered last year, and Lo condemned the “senseless act of violence” when he launched a GoFundMe donation campaign.
His brother was found dead on 28 January 2024 in a home 2km from where the family lived, the Globe and Mail reported. A suspect in the case, Dwight William Kematch, 39, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
A few months later, in August, he reportedly again asked for donations, this time for his mother who had attempted suicide and needed hospitalization for a month. A relative of Lo had contacted a local hospital’s psychiatric ward barely hours before the attack because of his worsening mental health, Vancouver Sun reported.
The incident occurred less than 48 hours before Canada’s federal election on Monday. Police said there was no suggestion at the moment of a connection between the incident and the election.
In the wake of the incident, prime minister Mark Carney canceled a campaign event and two major rallies.