Vancouver ramming attack suspect charged with murder, hundreds attend vigils for victims

VANCOUVER British Columbia AP A -year-old man was charged with multiple counts of murder on claims he killed people when he rammed a crowd of people at a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver as hundreds attended vigils across the city for the casualties and the Canadian prime minister visited the site on the eve of a federal vote Kai-Ji Adam Lo was charged with eight counts of second degree murder in a video appearance before a judge on Sunday hours after he was arrested at the scene disclosed Damienne Darby spokeswoman for British Columbia prosecutors Lo has not yet entered a plea Investigators ruled out terrorism as a motive and announced more charges are manageable They revealed Lo had a history of mental strength issues An attorney for Lo was not listed in online court documents and The Associated Press wasn t forthwith able to reach an attorney representing him Those killed were between the ages of and leaders declared About two dozen people were injured various critically when the black Audi SUV sped down a closed street just after p m Saturday and struck people attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival Agents had not disclosed casualties names by Sunday evening Nathaly Nairn and her -year-old daughter carried flowers to one of the vigils They had attended the festival on Saturday and Nairn recounted seeing the damaged SUV and bodies on the ground Something really dark happened last night Nairn stated as she and her daughter wiped away tears Emily Daniels also brought a bouquet It s sad Really sad she revealed I can t believe something like this could happen so close to home Police Interim Chief Steve Rai called it the darkest day in Vancouver s history There was no indication of a motive but Rai disclosed the suspect has a notable history of interactions with police and fitness care professionals related to mental robustness Video of the aftermath presented the dead and injured along a narrow street in South Vancouver lined by food trucks The front of the Audi SUV was smashed in Kris Pangilinan who brought his pop-up clothing and lifestyle booth to the festival saw the motorcycle enter slowly past a barricade before the driver accelerated in an area packed with people after a concert He mentioned hearing the sounds of people screaming and bodies hitting the bus will never leave his mind He slammed on the gas barreled through the crowd Pangilinan declared It looked like a bowling ball hitting bowling pins and all the pins are flying into the air Suspect detained by bystanders before the police arrived Rai explained the suspect was arrested after initially being apprehended by bystanders Video circulating on social media manifested a young man in a black hoodie with his back against a chain-link fence alongside a defense guard and surrounded by bystanders screaming and swearing at him I m sorry the man mentioned holding his hand to his head Rai declined to comment on the video Prime Minister Mark Carney canceled his first campaign event and two major rallies on the final day of the voting process campaign before Monday s vote Last night families lost a sister a brother a mother father son or a daughter Those families are living every family s nightmare Carney commented And to them and to the numerous others who were injured to the Filipino Canadian locality and to everyone in Vancouver I would like to offer my deepest condolences Carney joined British Columbia Premier David Eby and society leaders Sunday evening in Vancouver In this incredibly arduous moment we will comfort the grieving care for one another and united in common purpose Carney posted in French and English on X along with a photo of him lighting a candle at a makeshift memorial near the scene of the attack The tragedy was reminiscent of an attack in when a man used a van to kill pedestrians in Toronto Viewers describe how they leaped out of the way Carayn Nulada commented that she pulled her granddaughter and grandson off the street and used her body to shield them from the SUV She stated that her daughter suffered a narrow escape The car hit her arm and she fell down but she got up looking for us because she is scared stated Nulada who described children screaming and pale-faced casualties lying on the ground or wedged under vehicles I saw people running and my daughter was shaking Nulada declared Nulada was in Vancouver General Hospital s urgency room Sunday morning trying to find news about her brother who was run down in the attack and suffered multiple broken bones Doctors identified him by presenting the family with his wedding ring in a pill bottle and revealed that he was stable but would be facing surgery James Cruzat a Vancouver business owner was at the celebration and heard a car rev its engine and then a loud noise like a loud bang that he initially thought might be a gunshot We saw people on the road crying others were like running shouting or even screaming asking for help So we tried to go there just to check what was really truly happening until we uncovered a few bodies on the ground Others were lifeless others like you know injured Cruzat declared Vincent Reynon was leaving the festival when he saw police rushing in People were crying and he saw scattered bodies It was like something straight out of a horror movie or a nightmare he declared Adonis Quita noted when he saw the SUV ramming through the crowd his first reaction was to drag his -year-old son out of the area The boy kept saying I m scared I m scared Quita recalled Later they prayed together His son had just relocated to Vancouver from the Philippines with his mother to reunite with Quita who has lived here since Quita reported he worries the child will struggle to adjust to life in Canada after witnessing the horrific event Vancouver Mayor Kenneth Sim commented the city had suffered its darkest day I know several of us are fearful and feel uneasy explained the mayor I know it s hard to feel this way right now but Vancouver is still a safe city Vancouver s large Filipino population was honoring a national hero Vancouver had more than residents of Filipino heritage in representing 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 th century The organizers of the Vancouver event which was in its second year stated he represents the soul of native resistance a powerful force that helped shape the Filipino identity in the face of colonization Eby reported 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 various way by the Filipino public he explained You can t go to a place that delivers and not meet a member of that public in the long-term care home or hospitals childcare or schools This is a group that gives and gives and the preceding day was a celebration of their lifestyle Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr issued a message expressing sympathy with the casualties and their families The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver is working with Canadian personnel to ensure that the case will be thoroughly investigated and that the casualties and their families are supported and consoled he noted The Philippine cabinet is coordinating with local police to gather more details about casualties and the probe while the Vancouver consulate has established a hotline for families presidential palace press officer Claire Castro notified reporters in Manila on Monday