At least 11 people, ranging in age from 5 to 65, were killed and dozens more injured when a man with a history of mental health issues drove an SUV into a crowd at a Filipino community festival in Vancouver, western Canada, police reported on Sunday.
Police arrested a 30-year-old Vancouver man at the scene of the incident on Saturday evening, describing him as having had a “significant history” of interactions with authorities involving mental health. They said there was no evidence of terrorism.
‘Darkest Day’
“This is the darkest day in our city’s history,” Vancouver Interim Chief Constable Steve Rai told reporters at a Sunday press conference.
He said dozens of people were injured, some critically, and warned that the death toll could rise in coming days and weeks. As of Sunday afternoon, Rai said he did not believe there were any ongoing threats to the community.
More than 100 police officers joined the investigation, as local officials worked with provincial and federal authorities to provide support services. Messages of condolence and support came from across the globe.
“The community will feel this for a long time,” RJ Aquino, chair of the community advocacy group Filipino BC, told reporters. “We want to tell everybody that we’re grieving. We want to tell everybody that we see and hear the support from around the world at this point.”
Incident Right Before Election
The attack on Saturday evening took place two days before Canada’s federal election on Monday. A spokesperson for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would be traveling to Vancouver on Sunday.
Carney’s campaign movements were delayed on Sunday morning but he resumed campaigning after making a statement in which he expressed his condolences to the country’s Filipino community.
“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 told reporters in Hamilton, Ontario.
“I join all Canadians in mourning with you. I know that Canadians are united with you,” he said.
British Columbia Premier David Eby said at a press conference near the site of the attack on Sunday afternoon that it was hard not to feel rage towards the man who “murdered innocent people” for reasons that were not yet known.
“I want to turn the rage that I feel into ensuring that we stand with the Filipino community, that we deliver what they need, that we stand with those families who have lost loved ones,” he told reporters.
“I know it’s hard to believe it in this moment, but I know we will come back stronger.”
‘No Known Threats’
More than 12 hours after the incident, police still did not have a motive for the attack at the festival, which took place without a dedicated police presence or heavy vehicle barriers.
“There were no known threats to the event or to the Filipino community,” Rai said.
Festival-goers initially detained the suspect until police arrived after he drove into a crowd during the Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party in Vancouver’s Sunset neighborhood. The incident occurred around 8 p.m., leaving many injured who were taken to various hospitals.
One witness told CTV News he saw a black vehicle driving erratically in the area of the festival just before the crowd was struck. A photo of the aftermath posted online showed a dark Audi SUV with both front fenders crumpled and the hood pushed up toward the vehicle’s windshield.
Although less frequent than in the U.S., mass casualty attacks do occur in Canada, including two major vehicle-ramming incidents: one in 2021 that killed four members of a Muslim family, and another in 2018 that left 10 dead and 15 injured in Toronto.
‘Bodies Everywhere’
Images from the scene showed victims lying on the pavement near food trucks, with debris scattered across the road, including a motorized scooter. A witness reported seeing around 15 people on the ground and said the driver attempted to flee but was held by bystanders until police arrived.
“I didn’t get to see the driver, all I heard was an engine rev,” Yoseb Vardeh, co-owner of food truck Bao Buns, said in an interview with Postmedia.
“I got outside my food truck, I looked down the road and there’s just bodies everywhere,” said Vardeh, his voice breaking with emotion. “He went through the whole block, he went straight down the middle.”
The attack came at the end of the festival, following a concert headlined by Filipino-American rapper Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas, according to Mable Elmore, a member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, who attended the event.
“Everybody was happy and getting ready to go. And that’s when, that’s when the incident happened,” Elmore told reporters through tears.
“We are in incredible pain,” she said. “We will come together out of this catastrophe through the support and the love from the broad community.”
Lapu-Lapu Day
The festival, celebrated especially in the central Philippines, honors Datu Lapu-Lapu, a Filipino chieftain who defeated Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan in 1521.
The government of British Columbia officially recognized April 27 as Lapu-Lapu Day in 2023, acknowledging the cultural contributions of the Filipino-Canadian community, one of the largest immigrant groups in the province.
The centerpiece of the festival is a multi-block street party featuring Filipino food and traditions, live performances and cultural displays.
(With inputs from Reuters)
