'BODIES EVERYWHERE': 11 people killed, others injured at Lapu Lapu Day in Vancouver

Article content

Content warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of violence and injury. Those who have experienced trauma can contact VictimLinkBC by phone or text at 1-800-563-0808 or by email at 211-VictimLinkBC@uwbc.ca for immediate crisis support and resources. VictimLinkBC is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A joyous celebration of Filipino culture ended in death and devastation Saturday after a speeding SUV plowed into a crowd at Lapu Lapu Day in Vancouver, killing at least 11 people and injuring many more.

The event was coming to a close around 8:14 p.m., with people lingering after a concert at an adjacent school field, when a vehicle drove into a pedestrian-only area along 43rd Avenue near Fraser Street, speeding past food trucks and striking a number of festival participants.

Vancouver police confirmed that a 30-year-old Vancouver man was subdued by the crowd and arrested. He remains in custody.

Kai-ji Adam Lo was charged Sunday afternoon with eight counts of murder. He had dozens of past interactions with police related to his deteriorating mental health.

VPD interim Chief Steve Rai called the deadly attack “the darkest day in our city’s history.” The victims were aged from five to 65 and some have not been identified.

“Last night, as thousands of members of Vancouver’s Filipino community gathered for an important cultural celebration, the actions of a single person shattered our collective sense of safety. It is impossible to overstate how many lives have been impacted forever by this lone individual. There are many unanswered questions about why this horrific crime happened,” he said.

Rai said the suspect had a significant number of prior interactions with police and health care professionals because of his mental health problems. While police haven’t determined a motive for the attack, he stressed that it is not related to terrorism.

Abigail Andiso was with friends nearby when she heard two loud bangs, then screaming and yelling. They ran toward East 43rd Avenue, which was lined with food trucks and stalls, and saw a scene of carnage.

“There were bodies on the street. They were run over. Some were already dead on the spot,” said Andiso, who called 911.

Dale Selipe, who was with Andiso, saw a toddler injured and another child with an open scalp wound. Many of the bodies were twisted grotesquely.

“There was a lady with her eyes staring up, one of her legs was already broken. One person was holding her hand trying to comfort her,” she recounted.

Rai said that because “dozens more (victims) are injured, some seriously … the number of dead could rise in the coming days or weeks.”

“The most critically injured were transported by ambulance to nine different hospitals throughout Metro Vancouver, and we want to extend our profound gratitude to all of the medical professionals who have worked throughout the night to care for the victims.”

Health officials confirmed overnight Saturday that at least 26 individuals were taken to hospital with injuries. As of Sunday morning, the status of those 26 patients was unknown, though police have said 11 people have died.

The fatalities include a 5-year-old child, while a 2-year-old remains in critical condition.

New Westminster school district has identified Kira Salim, a teacher-counsellor at Fraser River Middle School and New Westminster Secondary School, as one of the victims in the April 26 Lapu Lapu Day tragedy.

B.C.’s Health Ministry issued an update Sunday night saying 32 people were seen at several hospitals in the Lower Mainland and 17 remained in care, including some in critical and serious condition.

The driver of the SUV was taken into custody and was telling bystanders he was “sorry.” Sources say he appears to have been suffering from mental health issues.

As of Sunday at 6 a.m., Fraser Street between 41st and 49th remained closed to allow room for the police investigation; TransLink buses continued to be rerouted to Main Street.

A 24-hour support centre was set up at Douglas Park Community Centre to help connect people with loved ones who were attending the festival.

ICBC president and CEO David Wong said in a statement that anyone injured during the incident is pre-approved for treatments. Counselling is also available to anyone who was impacted, including witnesses and family of those injured or killed, by calling 604-520-8222.

Videos posted to social media show the immediate aftermath, with bodies strewn across the road and being tended to by first responders and bystanders. Victims were rushed to several local hospitals, where staff were told to prepare for mass casualties.

Yoseb Vardeh is the co-owner of the food truck Bao Buns, which had been stationed at the festival all day.

In a phone interview late Saturday, Vardeh spoke through tears to describe what had been “an incredible day” that ended in shock and terror.

“I didn’t get to see the driver, all I heard was an engine rev. It didn’t make any sense to me because there’s still people here, like, it sounded like a car speeding. It didn’t make any f—ing sense,” he said.

“And then I look up and there’s people flying. It just happened so f—ing fast.”

Vardeh said the final performance had just ended and that many food trucks, including his, had stayed past the event’s closing time to serve last-minute customers who were still enjoying the evening.

It was then that the truck, according to Vardeh, came from the direction of nearby John Oliver Secondary School, drove past a number of market vendors, and speeded up before driving down 43rd Avenue, which had been turned into a pedestrian-only area flanked on both sides by food trucks.

“I got outside my food truck, I looked down the road and there’s just bodies everywhere,” said Vardeh, as his voice broke. “He went through the whole block, he went straight down the middle.”

Vardeh said he’s unsure how the truck was stopped but said he saw a man being arrested and that police worked quickly to cordon off the area. Vardeh said the man was telling bystanders to stop filming him.

Vardeh, who is half Filipino and was attending the festival for his second year, told his staff to pack up and go home.

“I didn’t break down until I got home to my family just five minutes ago,” he said. “This is something that happens in the States, not here.

“I saw so many people, and they just couldn’t believe what was happening. It was their wife, it was their mom, it was their kid,” he said. “All these people were shocked, walking around and they didn’t know what the f— to do.

“I couldn’t help them. There’s nothing to do.”

Another woman who didn’t want to be identified said she was at the festival doing cleanup and helping fold tents when she got a panicked call from her daughter.

“She said, ‘Mom, you have to hide. Someone is driving and trying to run over a lot of people.'”

She saw some people run north toward John Oliver Secondary and headed that way. On the street behind the school, she saw a scene of horror.

“I saw kids on the floor, injuries, crying. Underneath the food trucks there were bodies there. The people who lived in the area were outside and everyone was so shocked.”

Another ambulance came and paramedics came out. One witness told her a car drove straight into the crowd and did not stop. There was no screaming, she was told, because it happened so fast. All that could be heard as it happened was “thud-thud-thud” as the tires ran over people.

The woman saw a black car with the driver’s door open, then, a short distance away, she saw police officers chasing after someone.

Provincial Health Services Authority spokesman Brian Twaites confirmed more than 22 ambulances and associated vehicles were dispatched to the incident on Saturday just after 8 p.m., with both primary and advanced care paramedics, supervisors and special teams responding to the scene.

“We provided emergency medical treatment and transport for 26 patients to hospital in conditions ranging from critical to serious,” said Twaites.

“We continue to work with our partners at the Vancouver Police Department, the Vancouver Fire Department on this incident.”

Vancouver police 100 officers were actively working on the case.

Rai said that most of the festival took place on school grounds and was therefore not accessible by vehicle. Food trucks lined East 43rd, on the west side of Fraser Street. The suspect drove along 43rd from the west when he struck his victims.

Rai was asked why dump trucks used at other festivals were not in place for Lapu Lapu. He said there was a risk assessment done after meeting with organizers and city officials and it was determined they weren’t necessary.

“We determined through consultations with the City of Vancouver and festival organizers that dedicated police officers and heavy vehicle barricades would not be deployed at the festival site,” he said.

“While I’m confident the joint risk assessment and public safety plan was sound. We will be working with our partners at the City of Vancouver to review all of the circumstances surrounding the planning of this event.”

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said he is “heartbroken.”

“I’m shocked, I’m heartbroken and I’m angry,” Sim said on Sunday afternoon.

He said a full review would be conducted into safety measures at the roughly 3,000 public events held in the city each year.

Sim also called for the federal and provincial governments to work quickly to ensure mandatory care for mentally ill persons unable to take care of themselves.

“Mental health is the underlying issue in this tragedy and there has to be change,” he said.

Vancouver Coun. Pete Fry, who had been at the event earlier in the day, returned to the area when he heard what had happened. He told Postmedia that the day had been a fantastic one for the Filipino community and the Vancouver community in general, and said he was shocked this happened.

“It’s just a horrific act of violence that has befallen this event and community,” he said.

On Sunday morning, B.C. Premier David Eby confirmed he had spoken briefly with Prime Minister Mark Carney about the incident and that his focus Sunday “continues to be on supporting and connecting with community members.”

Eby reiterated the need “to wrap our arms around the Filipino community to support this incredibly important community and moment of real, desperate need.”

“For now, our focus is on supporting the families of the victims and the victims who are injured and struggling right now in hospital, to make sure that they have what they need,” he said.

“There are so many questions that British Columbians have about how that could take place, how we could get to that moment, and as we learn those answers, we’ll take the action that’s necessary to ensure that it can’t happen again.”

Liberal Leader Mark Carney thanked first responders in a statement shared online, adding he was “devastated to hear about the horrific events at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver earlier this evening.”

On Sunday morning, Carney said he had plans to be in touch with Eby and Sim later in the day.

“Last night, families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son or a daughter. Those families are living every family’s nightmare,” he said. “And to them and to the many others who were injured, to the Filipino Canadian community and to everyone in the broader Lower Mainland Vancouver, I would like to offer my deepest condolences and my wishes for strength and compassion in this tragic time.

“I know that I join all Canadians in mourning with you. I know that Canadians are united with you.”

Pierre Poilievre, leader of the federal Conservative party, also expressed shock at the news of the incident at the Lapu Lapu Day festival.

“All Canadians are united in solidarity with the Filipino community,” Poilievre said at a church in Mississauga on Sunday morning. “All Canadians are united with you in mourning the loss of these treasured lives and in binding our country together to support the surviving loved ones. We know that today will be a day of prayer and reflection for the Filipino community and for all Canadians.”

“This is a festival with kids there, there’s families there, and then a vehicle drove through and killed and injured people,” federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters in Burnaby late Saturday. “I don’t have the words to describe the pain that I’m feeling right now.”

Harjit Sajjan, the outgoing MP for Vancouver South, stopped by the scene to offer his support to those nearby. He told Postmedia he was “horrified” when he heard the news.

“For something like this to happen, you can’t just describe it in words,” he added.

After news broke of the incident, B.C. Emergency Health Services said “many staff reached out and offered to come in” and work.

Seven additional ambulances were deployed Saturday evening, along with two supervisor vehicles to help address additional call volumes.

BCEHS said the fatal incident near East 43rd and Fraser would be prioritized, and that less pressing calls may experience some waits.

Vancouver police said there would be no changes to their operational plan for Sunday’s Vancouver Sun Run, which typically draws large crowds downtown annually. Officials said a robust deployment will continue as planned.

The VPD’s major crime unit is investigating the incident and anyone with information is asked to contact police at 604-717-2500.

This was the second annual Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, held to celebrate Datu Lapu-Lapu, a 16th century Indigenous leader in Mactan, Philippines. According to organizers “he is considered the first national hero of the Philippines, and his heroic legacy is deeply etched into the hearts of every Filipino. Lapu-Lapu was the first to rise against the tide of Spanish colonization, igniting a spark that would blaze brightly in the nation’s history.”

On April 27, 1521, Lapu-Lapu led a force of Visayan warriors and defeated the forces of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.