A man has been charged with murder over the car-ramming attack at a festival in Vancouver that killed 11 people, including a five-year-old.
At least 20 other people were injured after a car ploughed into a crowd at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival at 8pm on Saturday.
Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder, according to the Vancouver Police Department. More charges are expected, officials said.
Earlier, the city’s interim police chief Steve Rai said the man arrested over the incident was known to law enforcement and mental health professionals before the incident.
Mr Rai said the man in custody had “a significant history of interactions with police and healthcare professionals related to mental health” as police remained confident the incident was not an act of terrorism.
He called the incident the “darkest day in Vancouver’s history” and said it would be a “watershed moment” for operational changes in the city’s police department.
Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney said the nation was left “shocked, devastated and heartbroken” and cancelled final rallies in Calgary, Richmond and British Columbia ahead of the federal election on Monday.
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Key Points
- Man charged with murder over car ramming attack at festival
- Death toll rises to 11 and more than 20 injured after car drives through street festival
- ‘Bodies flying up in the air’: Witnesses describe the scene of attack
- WATCH: Canadian Prime Minister speaks following Lapu-Lapu incident
- Mayor Ken Sim opens full review after car ramming attack
In case you missed it: Canadian PM says families are living a nightmare following attack
08:17
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said families of the victims are “living every family’s nightmare” as he offers condolences following the car-ramming attack.
Victims range in age from five to 65, while more remain critical
08:02
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Rachel Clun, AP
The 11 people killed in the car-ramming incident range in age from five to 65, officials said, while warning the death toll could rise further with other victims critically injured.
Vancouver police said the victims were a mix of male and female, including young people.
More than 20 were injured, some critcally, authorities said, after the black SUV sped down a closed street at 8pm local time on Saturday and hit people attending the Lapu Lapu Day Festival.
Vancouver Mayor Kenneth Sim said the city had "suffered its darkest day."
"I know many of us are fearful and feel uneasy," said the mayor. "I know it's hard to feel this way right now, but Vancouver is still a safe city."
The driver, Kai-Ji Adam Lo, aged 30, has since been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder, with more charges expected to follow.
In pictures: Community lays flowers at vigil for victims
07:45
,
Rachel Clun
Hundreds of people have laid flowers at a makeshift memorial during a candlelit vigil for victims of the car ramming attack.
Prime Minister lights candles at makeshift memorial
07:25
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has lit a candle at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the attack.
In a picture shared on X, Mr Carney is kneeling to light a candle in front of hundreds of bunches of flowers laid out near the scene where a car drove into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Festival.
“In Vancouver tonight, we laid flowers in memory of the victims of the devastating Lapu Lapu festival attack,” Mr Carney wrote.
“In this incredibly difficult moment, we will comfort the grieving, care for one another, and unite in common purpose.”
In Vancouver tonight, we laid flowers in memory of the victims of the devastating Lapu Lapu festival attack.
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) April 28, 2025
In this incredibly difficult moment, we will comfort the grieving, care for one another, and unite in common purpose. pic.twitter.com/DR1AjNkTIy
Philippine president expresses sympathy for victims
07:05
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Namita Singh
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 Philippine government is coordinating with local police to gather more details about victims and the investigation, while the Vancouver consulate has established a hotline for families, presidential palace press officer Claire Castro told reporters in Manila this morning.
Video: Scene where 11 killed after car ploughed into crowd at Vancouver street festival
06:46
,
Namita Singh
Vancouver ‘suffered its darkest day’
06:45
,
Namita Singh
Vancouver mayor Kenneth Sim said the city had "suffered its darkest day
"I know many of us are fearful and feel uneasy," said 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 heroVancouver had more than 38,600 residents of Filipino heritage in 2021, representing 5.9 per cent 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 organisers 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 colonisation”.
Witnesses describe how they leaped out of the way
06:29
,
Namita Singh
Carayn Nulada said that she pulled her granddaughter and grandson off the street and used her body to shield them from the SUV. She said 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," said Ms Nulada, who described children screaming, and pale-faced victims lying on the ground or wedged under vehicles.
"I saw people running and my daughter was shaking."Ms Nulada was in Vancouver General Hospital's emergency room yesterday 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 said 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 actually happening until we found some bodies on the ground. Others were lifeless, others like, you know, injured," Mr Cruzat said.
Vincent Reynon, 17, was leaving the festival when he saw police rushing in. People were crying and he saw bodies on the ground. "It was like something straight out of a horror movie or a nightmare," he said.
Adonis Quita said when he saw the SUV ramming through the crowd, his first reaction was to drag his nine-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 2024. Quita said he worries the child will struggle to adjust to life in Canada after witnessing the horrific event.
Vancouver Whitecaps football team pay tribute to victims of Lapu-Lapu incident
06:15
,
Bryony Gooch
Our hearts are with the victims, their families and Vancouver’s Filipino community. pic.twitter.com/2qEpKk7tMS
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) April 27, 2025
WATCH: Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim opens full review after car ramming attack
06:01
,
Bryony Gooch
Prime minister cancels his campaign
05:56
,
Namita Singh
Prime minister Mark Carney canceled his first campaign event and two major rallies on the final day of the election 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," Mr Carney said.
"And to them and to the many others who were injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver, I would like to offer my deepest condolences."
Bystanders detain suspect of car-ramming attack
05:47
,
Namita Singh
Suspect was detained by bystanders before the police arrived.
Police Interim Chief Steve Rai said the suspect was arrested after initially being apprehended by bystanders.
Video circulating on social media shows a young man in a black hoodie with his back against a chain-link fence, alongside a security guard and surrounded by bystanders screaming and swearing at him.
"I'm sorry," the man says, holding his hand to his head.
‘Bodies flying up in the air’: Witnesses describe the scene of attack
05:26
,
Namita Singh
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.
"He slammed on the gas, barrelled through the crowd," he said.
"And all I can remember is seeing bodies flying up in the air higher than the food trucks themselves and landing on the ground and people yelling and screaming. It looked like a bowling ball hitting bowling pins and all the pins are flying into the air."
Vancouver holds vigil to honor the victims of attack
05:01
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Namita Singh
Hundreds of people gathered yesterday evening for a vigil honoring the victims.
"It's sad. Really sad," said Emily Daniels, who brought a bouquet.
"I can't believe something like this could happen so close to home."
Nathaly Nairn and her 15-year-old daughter also carried flowers. 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," she said, as she and her daughter wiped away tears.
In pictures: People pay their respects following Lapu-Lapu attack as area remains cordoned off
05:01
,
Bryony Gooch
Murder charges filed against suspect in ramming attack on Vancouver street festival
04:21
,
Namita Singh
Murder charges were filed yesterday against a suspect in a weekend car ramming attack that killed 11 people between the ages of 5 and 65 at a Filipino heritage festival in the city of Vancouver, a tragedy that shook Canada on the eve of a federal election.
The British Columbia Prosecution Service charged Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, with eight counts of second degree murder and said more charges were possible. Investigators ruled out terrorism and said Mr Lo had a history of mental health issues.
Where did the Lapu-Lapu attack take place?
04:02
,
Bryony Gooch
WATCH: prime minister speaks out following Lapu-Lapu incident
03:02
,
Bryony Gooch
In pictures: British Columbia premier walks with members of Filipino community to press conference
02:02
,
Bryony Gooch
Just in: Suspect charged with eight murder counts
01:22
,
Alex Woodward
Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, has been charged with eight counts of second degree murder following a car-ramming attack in Vancouver that left 11 people dead.
Lo, a Vancouver resident, appeared in court and remains in custody, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
More charges are expected, according to officials.
Lo is accused of driving an SUV into a crowd of people celebrating the Lapu Lapu Day festival. At least 11 people, aged 5 to 65, were killed, and more than two dozen others injured.
Everything we know so far about the car-ramming attack
01:01
,
Bryony Gooch
- A black Audi SUV charged into a crowd of people who had gathered to attend a Lapu-Lapu day festival, celebrating Filipino culture and community, at a school at 8pm on Saturday night.
- Police have said that 11 people have died so far with expectations that the death toll could rise over the next few days and weeks.
- Victims were a mix of male and female, including young people, with ages ranging from five to 65.
- Not all of the victims have been identified yet.
- Prime minister Mark Carney has said that more than 20 people were injured.
- Police arrested a man in his thirties at the scene of the crime, who had been apprehended by bystanders.
- He is currently in police custody as the main suspect and is known to police and mental health professionals from previous interactions.
- Police are adamant that the incident was not an act of terrorism.
Families lost 'a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, son or daughter', says Carney
Monday 28 April 2025 00:01
,
Bryony Gooch
Mark Carney shared his condolences to families in a press conference earlier today.
He said of the victims: “Last night families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, father, son or a daughter. Those families are living every family's nightmare.”
“And to them and to the many others who were injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver, I would like to offer my deepest condolences.”
WATCH: Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim opens full review after car ramming attack
Sunday 27 April 2025 23:08
,
Bryony Gooch
Canada PM Carney to come to Vancouver Sunday evening
Sunday 27 April 2025 23:06
,
Bryony Gooch
Mark Carney will be with British Columbia premier David Eby and other community leaders in the city at some point this evening ahead of tomorrow’s federal election.
Mayor Ken Sim said that Carney had called up to offer his support to the city following the incident and express his sorrow over the attack.
Mayor Ken Sim calls for mandatory care for people with significant mental health challenges
Sunday 27 April 2025 23:01
,
Bryony Gooch
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has called for “mandatory care for people with significant mental health challenges or substance use disorder” across Canada.
It is understood mental health played a role in the car-ramming attack on Saturday.
“it’s the most humane thing to do.
“There are people on the streets who cannot direct their own care and they’re causing harm to themselves and other people.”
British Columbia premier says gatherings will continue following Lapu-Lapu incident
Sunday 27 April 2025 22:56
,
Bryony Gooch
British Columbia’s premier David Eby has said that the attack would not stop people from gathering in the future and cleebrating the culture and people of Vancouver and Columbia.
He said: “In this moment, today, it’s hard to imagine another celebration. We’re grieving, people are in shock, people are in hospital, families are still being notified, people are trying to reach loved ones they haven’t been in contact with.
“But I know that this attack will not stop us from gathering and celebrating the culture, celebrating the people of Vancouver and British Columbia,” he said, standing next to Elmore with a Canada-Phillippines flag pin on his lapel.
“We’ll work with the city, we’ll work with police to make sure events have the systems in place to keep people safe while they’re celebrating. And we will, as a community, come out of this stronger.”
Police chief defends risk assessment
Sunday 27 April 2025 22:44
,
Bryony Gooch
Police chief Steve Rai responded to questions around how a driver was able to get an SUV into the crowd.
Mr Rai said that the risk assessment done by police, prior to big events, involves scanning social media for threats and working with organisers on their needs, among a “whole gamut” of preparations.
He called the event a “fun, cultural” and “family-friendly event for Filipino to celebrate their culture, an atmosphere police wanted to maintain.
“We certainly don't want to create a police state. The intelligence led up to a proper deployment of resources based on the information.”
He added: “We don’t want to cage everybody up at every event in the City of Vancouver.”
A number of victims have not been identified, says police
Sunday 27 April 2025 22:38
,
Bryony Gooch
Police chief Steve Rai has said a number of victims “have not yet been identified.”
He said "dozens" of people have been injured, "some critically."
He directed those looking for loved ones who were at the festival to go in person to the 24-hour assistance centre at the Douglas Park community centre or speak with a victim liaison officer at 1-604-717-3321.
Vigil in Vancouver at 6pm tonight
Sunday 27 April 2025 22:34
,
Bryony Gooch
Mayor Ken Sim has confirmed that Vancouver will experience a vigil at 6pm tonight.
He insisted that Vancouver is “still a safe city” and told the Filipino community “your family is our family too”.
There is no ongoing threat to the community, says police chief
Sunday 27 April 2025 22:33
,
Bryony Gooch
Vancouver’s interim police chief Steve Rai has said he doesn’t believe there is an ongoing threat to the community.
He added that the victims killed in ramming attack were from an age rang varying from five to 65.
Mayor Ken Sim opens full review after car ramming attack
Sunday 27 April 2025 22:29
,
Bryony Gooch
He has called the incident in Vancouver its “darkest day” which emphasises the city’s resilience.
“Like all of you, I’m completely, heartbroken, shocked, and I’m angry.”
The mayor has directed a "full review" into event safety measures including into barriers and traffic control.
Sim underlines Vancouver is "still a safe city" as he urges residents to keep plans in place.
