Suspect named in deadly Lapu Lapu festival attack

Police have charged a 30-year-old man with eight counts of second degree murder after a car was driven into a crowd at a street festival in Vancouver, Canada.

The attack at the annual Lapu Lapu event, which celebrates Filipino culture, left 11 dead and dozens more injured.

Work to identify some victims was continuing on Sunday evening, and investigators said the suspect – Kai-Ji Adam Lo, a resident of the city – was likely to be charged with further murders.

The festival organisers said the city’s tight-knit Filipino community was “grieving” and that the attack’s impact will be felt for years to come.

Earlier, police said the ages of the victims ranged from five to 65. Their identities have not been disclosed.

Investigators have yet to reveal a motive for the attack, but said they do not believe it was an act of terrorism.

The suspect was known to police and had a history of mental health problems.

The attack took place at around 20:14 local time on Saturday (03:14 GMT) at East 43rd Avenue and Fraser in the south of Vancouver.

At the scene on Sunday, people began laying flowers and paying their respects.

One woman doubled over sobbing before walking off. Another woman, named Donna, said she lived in the neighbourhood for more than 50 years.

She was at the festival and said it was packed with young people and families.

“People were here to celebrate and have fun,” she told the BBC. “This is tragic.”

Speaking at a news conference the following day, RJ Aquino, the head of the Filipino BC organisation, said that “last night was extremely difficult and the community will feel this for a long time.”

“We know that there’s a lot of questions floating about and we don’t have all the answers, but we want to tell everybody that we’re grieving,” he added.

Mr Aquino said that the attack caused considerable confusion and chaos in the city’s tight-knit Filipino community, with many residents calling one another to check on their loved ones.

“I don’t think my phone has buzzed that much in my entire life,” he said. “There was a lot of panic and, you know, relief, when somebody answers.”

At a separate news briefing on Sunday, acting Vancouver police chief Steve Rai said it was the “darkest day” in the city’s history.

He said “dozens” of people were injured in the attack, some seriously.

“The number of dead could rise in the coming days or weeks,” he told reporters, adding that men, women and young people were among the victims.

Lo was taken into custody by police officers after being detained by bystanders at the scene.

While Rai declined to specify any potential motive, he said that he “can now say with confidence that the evidence in this case does not lead us to believe this was an act of terrorism”.

The suspect, he added, has “a significant history of interactions with police and healthcare professionals related to mental health”.

The festival in Vancouver – home to over 140,000 Canadians of Filipino descent – takes place every year to commemorate Lapu-Lapu, a national hero who resisted Spanish colonisation in the 1500s.

Tens of thousands of people were in attendance at the event.

According to Rai, police had conducted a threat assessment ahead of the festival, and had partially closed a road on a street behind a school where the bulk of the festivities were taking place.

There was nothing to indicate a higher threat level for the event, he added.

The street where the attack took place was largely being used by food trucks and there were no barriers in place.

Rai said that the incident would be a “watershed moment” for city officials and first responders.

The attack came just before Canada’s federal election on 28 April, prompting Prime Minister Mark Carney to cancel large gatherings of Liberal Party supporters in Calgary and Richmond.

Smaller community-focused events in Saskatoon and Edmonton were expected to continue as planned.

In a televised address to Canadians, Carney said he was “heartbroken” and “devastated” by the attack.

His campaign said he would visit Vancouver on Sunday.

The main opposition candidate, Pierre Polievre, continued campaigning, but made an unscheduled stop at a church in Mississauga – a suburb of Toronto – to meet with members of the Filipino community.

Appearing alongside his wife Anaida Poilievre, the Conservative leader expressed his condolences. “I wanted to be here with you in solidarity,” he told the church attendees.

Meanwhile, the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party David Eby, said he was “shocked and heartbroken”.

One Canadian political leader, the New Democrats’ Jagmeet Singh, was among those who attended the Lapu Lapu festival on Saturday, and subsequently changed his planned events on Sunday.

He said it was “heart-breaking” to see that “such joy can be torn apart so violently.

“I saw families gathered together, I saw children dancing, I saw pride in culture, in history and community,” he added.