Murder charges have been filed against a suspect in a car ramming that killed 11 people at a Filipino street festival in Canada’s Vancouver city, prosecutors said.
The British Columbia Prosecution Service charged Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, on Sunday evening with eight counts of second-degree murder and said more charges were possible.
Lo, a Vancouver resident who has a history of mental health issues, appeared in court and remains in custody, prosecutors said.
Investigators have ruled out terrorism as a motive for the car ramming that killed 11 people between the ages of 5 and 65 attending the Lapu Lapu Festival in the city’s Sunset on Fraser neighbourhood on Saturday evening.
Dozens of people were injured in the attack and several remain in critical condition, according to officials.
Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai said earlier that the suspect had a “significant history” of interaction with police and mental healthcare professionals.
Rai told a news conference that the suspect was arrested at the scene of the attack 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.
Rai declined to comment on the video but said the person in custody was a “lone male” who was “known to police in certain circumstances”.
Vancouver had more than 38,600 residents of Filipino heritage in 2021, representing 5.9 percent of the city’s total population, according to Statistics Canada, the agency that conducts the national census.
The Lapu Lapu Festival commemorates Datu Lapu-Lapu, an Indigenous chieftain who stood up to Spanish explorers who came to the Philippines in the 16th century.
Filipino community devastated by Lapu Lapu Day tragedy
Vancouver’s Mayor Ken Sim said, “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event.”
“Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time,” Sim wrote.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated to hear about the horrific events” at the Lapu Lapu festival.
“I offer my deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver. We are all mourning with you,” he said, adding that the federal government was closely monitoring developments as the investigation continues.
Carney planned to travel to Vancouver later on Sunday to join British Columbia Premier David Eby and community leaders, a Liberal Party official said.
Canada is set to hold its federal election on Monday.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he shared in the grief of those who were victims of this “unspeakable tragedy”.
“The lives lost will not be forgotten,” he said in a post on social media.
“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,” the president said earlier.
— Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) April 27, 2025
