{"id":29281,"date":"2025-04-28T06:32:24","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T10:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=29281"},"modified":"2025-04-28T06:32:24","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T10:32:24","slug":"vancouver-street-festival-at-least-11-people-dead-including-a-five-year-old-girl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2025\/04\/28\/vancouver-street-festival-at-least-11-people-dead-including-a-five-year-old-girl\/","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver street festival: At least 11 people dead &#8211; including a five-year-old girl"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-1w03aro-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">A man has been charged with eight counts of second degree murder after a car drove into a crowd at a street festival in Vancouver, Canada, killing at least 11 people &#8211; including a five-year-old girl.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, appeared in court late on Sunday and was returned to custody, Vancouver Police Department said, adding that further charges are expected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Acting police chief Steve Rai described Saturday&#8217;s attack at the Lapu Lapu Day festival &#8211; which was attended by up to 100,000 people &#8211; as the &#8220;darkest day in the city&#8217;s history&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The identities of those killed have not yet been released by officials, and police said dozens more were hurt in the attack which is not being treated as terrorism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1w03aro-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Police said the suspect was known to them prior to the attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Organisers of the annual Lapu Lapu festival said the city&#8217;s tight-knit Filipino community was &#8220;grieving&#8221; and the attack&#8217;s impact will be felt for years to come.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1qlkdz0-ComponentWrapper-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-1vfya96-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-w24apu-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/c348\/live\/f978d9b0-23f2-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.png.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/c348\/live\/f978d9b0-23f2-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.png.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/c348\/live\/f978d9b0-23f2-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/c348\/live\/f978d9b0-23f2-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.png.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/c348\/live\/f978d9b0-23f2-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.png.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/c348\/live\/f978d9b0-23f2-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.png.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-11yxrdo-Image edrdn950\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/1280\/cpsprodpb\/c348\/live\/f978d9b0-23f2-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/c348\/live\/f978d9b0-23f2-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.png 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/c348\/live\/f978d9b0-23f2-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.png 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/c348\/live\/f978d9b0-23f2-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.png 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/c348\/live\/f978d9b0-23f2-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.png 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/c348\/live\/f978d9b0-23f2-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.png 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/c348\/live\/f978d9b0-23f2-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.png 976w\" alt=\"A map shows the blocks where the Lapu Lapu Day festival was taking place in Vancouver and the direction that the car was moving - west to east - on East 43rd Avenue\" width=\"1280\" height=\"890\" \/><\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1w03aro-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Several eyewitnesses to Saturday&#8217;s attack described the moment the black SUV vehicle ploughed into crowds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;There&#8217;s a car that went just through the whole street and just hitting everyone,&#8221; Abigail Andiso, a local resident, told the Associated Press.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I saw one dead, one man on the ground, and I went&#8230; towards the end where the car went, then there are more casualties, and you can see straight away there are about&#8230; maybe 20 people down, and everyone is panicking, everyone is screaming.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1w03aro-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Lo was taken into custody by police officers after being detained by bystanders at the scene, police added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">At a separate news briefing on Sunday, Mr Rai said: &#8220;The number of dead could rise in the coming days or weeks.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">While Mr Rai declined to specify any potential motive, he said that he &#8220;can now say with confidence that the evidence in this case does not lead us to believe this was an act of terrorism&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The suspect, he added, has &#8220;a significant history of interactions with police and healthcare professionals related to mental health&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1w03aro-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1le81vw-ListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cvgnz7n7zj4o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What we know about the Vancouver car attack<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cly19evjxwqo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sorrow and fury among Vancouver&#8217;s Filipinos after attack on festival<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1w03aro-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The annual festival in Vancouver &#8211; home to over 140,000 Canadians of Filipino descent &#8211; commemorates Lapu-Lapu, a national hero who resisted Spanish colonisation in the 1500s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">According to Mr 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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">There was nothing to indicate a higher threat level for the event, he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The street where the attack took place was largely being used by food trucks and there were no barriers in place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Rai said that the incident would be a &#8220;watershed moment&#8221; for city officials and first responders.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1w03aro-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Speaking at a news conference the following day, RJ Aquino, the head of the Filipino BC organisation, said Saturday night &#8220;was extremely difficult and the community will feel this for a long time&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;We know that there&#8217;s a lot of questions floating about and we don&#8217;t have all the answers, but we want to tell everybody that we&#8217;re grieving,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Aquino said the attack caused considerable confusion and chaos in the city&#8217;s tight-knit Filipino community. Many residents had called one another to check on their loved ones.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t think my phone has buzzed that much in my entire life,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There was a lot of panic and, you know, relief, when somebody answers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">At the scene on Sunday, people laid flowers and paid their respects.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">One woman, named Donna, was at the festival and said it was packed with young people and families.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;People were here to celebrate and have fun,&#8221; she told the BBC. &#8220;This is tragic.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1w03aro-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The attack came just before Canada&#8217;s federal election on 28 April. It prompted Prime Minister Mark Carney to cancel large gatherings of Liberal Party supporters in Calgary and Richmond.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In a televised address to Canadians, Mr Carney said he was &#8220;heartbroken&#8221; and &#8220;devastated&#8221; by the attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He visited the scene of the attack on Sunday evening, where he lit a candle and stood in silence with dozens of members of the local community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Carney also met family members of the victims and laid flowers during a church service vigil.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The main opposition candidate, Pierre Poilievre, continued campaigning, but made an unscheduled stop at a church in Mississauga &#8211; a suburb of Toronto &#8211; to meet with members of the Filipino community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1w03aro-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Appearing alongside his wife Anaida Poilievre, the Conservative leader expressed his condolences. &#8220;I wanted to be here with you in solidarity,&#8221; he told the church attendees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Meanwhile, the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party David Eby, said he was &#8220;shocked and heartbroken&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">One Canadian political leader, the New Democrats&#8217; Jagmeet Singh, was among those who attended the Lapu Lapu festival on Saturday, and subsequently changed his planned events on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He said it was &#8220;heart-breaking&#8221; to see that &#8220;such joy can be torn apart so violently.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I saw families gathered together, I saw children dancing, I saw pride in culture, in history and community,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c4g271y53z6o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">A man has been charged with eight counts of second degree murder after a car drove into a crowd at a street festival in Vancouver, Canada, killing at least 11 people &#8211; including a five-year-old <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2025\/04\/28\/vancouver-street-festival-at-least-11-people-dead-including-a-five-year-old-girl\/\" title=\"Vancouver street festival: At least 11 people dead &#8211; including a five-year-old girl\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,109,2,6],"tags":[45,11221,11223,2003,11222],"class_list":{"0":"post-29281","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canada","8":"category-headline","9":"category-news","10":"category-world","11":"tag-canada","12":"tag-car-crime","13":"tag-lapu-lapu-festival","14":"tag-vancouver","15":"tag-vancouver-police-department","16":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29281"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29283,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29281\/revisions\/29283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}