Vancouver car attack witnesses describe horrific scene after 11 killed

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A antheral was charged with aggregate counts of execution connected allegations he killed 11 people erstwhile helium rammed into a assemblage of radical astatine a Filipino practice festival successful Vancouver, arsenic witnesses described a horrific scene.

Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, was charged with 8 counts of 2nd grade murder successful a video quality earlier a justice connected Sunday, hours aft helium was arrested astatine the scene, said Damienne Darby, spokeswoman for British Columbia prosecutors.

Investigators ruled retired coercion arsenic a motive and said much charges are possible. They said Lo had a past of intelligence wellness issues. He has not yet entered a plea.

An lawyer for Lo was not listed successful online tribunal documents and The Associated Press wasn't instantly capable to scope an lawyer representing him.

Those killed were betwixt the ages of 5 and 65, officials said. About 2 twelve radical were injured, immoderate critically, erstwhile a achromatic Audi SUV sped down a closed thoroughfare conscionable aft 8 p.m. Saturday and struck radical attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival. Authorities had not released victims' names by Sunday evening.

Nathaly Nairn and her 15-year-old girl carried flowers to 1 of the vigils. They had attended the festival connected Saturday, and Nairn recounted seeing the damaged SUV and bodies connected the ground.

"Something truly acheronian happened past night," Nairn said, arsenic she and her girl wiped distant tears.

Emily Daniels besides brought a bouquet. "It's sad. Really sad," she said. "I can't judge thing similar this could hap truthful adjacent to home."

Police interim main Steve Rai called it "the darkest time successful Vancouver's history." There was nary denotation of a motive, but Rai said the fishy has "a important past of interactions with constabulary and wellness attraction professionals related to intelligence health."

Aftermath of a car plowing done Vancouver Filipino festival

Video of the aftermath showed the dormant and injured on a constrictive thoroughfare successful South Vancouver lined by nutrient trucks. The beforehand of the Audi SUV was smashed in.

Kris Pangilinan, who brought his pop-up covering and manner booth to the festival, saw the conveyance participate dilatory past a barricade earlier the operator accelerated successful an country packed with radical aft a concert. He said proceeding the sounds of radical screaming and bodies hitting the conveyance volition ne'er permission his mind.

"He slammed connected the gas, barreled done the crowd," Pangilinan said. "It looked similar a bowling shot hitting bowling pins and each the pins are flying into the air."

Suspect detained by bystanders earlier constabulary arrived

Rai said the fishy was arrested aft initially being apprehended by bystanders.

Video circulating connected societal media showed a young antheral successful a achromatic hoodie with his backmost against a chain-link fence, alongside a information defender and surrounded by bystanders screaming and swearing astatine him.

"I'm sorry," the antheral said, holding his manus to his head. Rai declined to remark connected the video.

Prime Minister Mark Carney canceled his archetypal run lawsuit and 2 large rallies connected the last time of the predetermination run earlier Monday's vote.

"Last nighttime families mislaid a sister, a brother, a mother, father, lad oregon a daughter. Those families are surviving each family's nightmare," Carney said. "And to them and to the galore others who were injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone successful Vancouver, I would similar to connection my deepest condolences."

Carney joined British Columbia Premier David Eby and assemblage leaders Sunday evening successful Vancouver.

"In this incredibly hard moment, we volition comfortableness the grieving, attraction for 1 another, and agreed successful communal purpose," Carney posted successful French and English connected X on with a photograph of him lighting a candle astatine a makeshift memorial adjacent the country of the attack.

The calamity was reminiscent of an onslaught successful 2018, erstwhile a antheral utilized a van to termination 10 pedestrians successful Toronto.

Witnesses picture however they leaped retired of the way

Eyewitness Dale Selipe told the Vancouver Sun that she saw injured children connected the thoroughfare aft the conveyance rammed into the crowd.

"There was a woman with her eyes staring up, 1 of her legs was already broken. One idiosyncratic was holding her manus trying to comfortableness her," Selipe told the newspaper.

Festival information defender Jen Idaba-Castaneto told a section quality site that she saw bodies everywhere.

"When I heard radical screaming, I ran to spot what happened, and I saw lifeless bodies connected the street. The radical I saw archetypal were dormant connected the spot. Many others were injured oregon died," she said.

Carayn Nulada said she pulled her granddaughter and grandson disconnected the thoroughfare and utilized her assemblage to shield them from the SUV. She said that her girl suffered a constrictive escape.

"The car deed her limb and she fell down, but she got up, looking for us, due to the fact that she is scared," said Nulada, who described children screaming, and pale-faced victims lying connected the crushed oregon wedged nether vehicles.

"I saw radical moving and my girl was shaking," Nulada said.

Nulada was successful Vancouver General Hospital's exigency country Sunday morning, trying to find quality astir her brother, who was tally down successful the onslaught and suffered aggregate breached bones.

Doctors identified him by presenting the household with his wedding ringing successful a pill vessel and said that helium was stable, but would beryllium facing surgery.

James Cruzat, a Vancouver concern owner, was astatine the solemnisation and heard a car rev its motor and past "a large noise, similar a large bang" that helium initially thought mightiness beryllium a gunshot.

"We saw radical connected the roadworthy crying, others were similar running, shouting, oregon adjacent screaming, asking for help. So we tried to spell determination conscionable to cheque what was truly really happening until we recovered immoderate bodies connected the ground. Others were lifeless, others like, you know, injured," Cruzat said.

Vincent Reynon, 17, was leaving the festival erstwhile helium saw constabulary rushing in. People were crying and helium saw scattered bodies.

"It was similar thing consecutive retired of a fearfulness movie oregon a nightmare," helium said.

Adonis Quita said erstwhile helium saw the SUV ramming done the crowd, his archetypal absorption was to resistance his 9-year-old lad retired of the area. The lad kept saying "I'm scared, I'm scared," Quita recalled. Later they prayed together.

His lad had conscionable relocated to Vancouver from the Philippines with his parent to reunite with Quita, who has lived present since 2024. Quita said helium worries the kid volition conflict to set to beingness successful Canada aft witnessing the horrific event.

Vancouver Mayor Kenneth Sim said the metropolis had "suffered its darkest day."

"I cognize galore of america are fearful and consciousness uneasy," said the mayor. "I cognize it's hard to consciousness this mode close now, but Vancouver is inactive a harmless city."

Vancouver's Filipino colonisation was honoring a nationalist hero

Vancouver had much than 38,600 residents of Filipino practice successful 2021, representing 5.9% of the city's full population, according to Statistics Canada, the bureau that conducts the nationalist census.

Lapu Lapu Day celebrates Datu Lapu-Lapu, an Indigenous chieftain who stood up to Spanish explorers who came to the Philippines successful the 16th century. The organizers of the Vancouver event, which was successful its 2nd year, said helium "represents the psyche of autochthonal resistance, a almighty unit that helped signifier the Filipino individuality successful the look of colonization."

Eby said the state won't fto the calamity specify the celebration. He urged radical to transmission their rage into helping those affected.

Vehicle driven into a assemblage astatine the Lapu Lapu time artifact party, successful Vancouver

"I don't deliberation determination is simply a British Columbian that hasn't been touched successful immoderate mode by the Filipino community," helium said. "You can't spell to a spot that delivers and not conscionable a subordinate of that assemblage successful the semipermanent attraction location oregon hospitals, childcare oregon schools. This is simply a assemblage that gives and gives and yesterday was a solemnisation of their culture."

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued a connection expressing sympathy with the victims and their families.

"The Philippine Consulate General successful Vancouver is moving with Canadian authorities to guarantee that the incidental volition beryllium thoroughly investigated, and that the victims and their families are supported and consoled," helium said.

The Philippine authorities is coordinating with section constabulary to stitchery much details astir victims and the investigation, portion the Vancouver consulate has established a hotline for families, statesmanlike palace property serviceman Claire Castro told reporters successful Manila connected Monday.