Death toll rises after car hit revellers at Vancouver Filipino street festival
Police have ruled out terrorism in the incident which killed 11 people, saying the suspect has a history of mental health issues.
Vancouver police have ruled out terrorism in a car ramming that killed 11 people between the ages of five and 65 at a Filipino heritage festival in the Canadian city of Vancouver, saying the suspect has a history of mental health issues.
The vehicle entered the street where the Lapu Lapu Day festival was taking place just before 8.15pm local time on Saturday.
A 30-year-old Vancouver man was arrested at the scene and the local police department’s Major Crime Section is overseeing the investigation.
“An investigation is ongoing to determine how and why this horrific attack occurred. Authorities have confirmed one person is custody and it is believed they acted alone,” said Prime Minister Mark Carney, who cancelled his first campaign event on the final day of the election campaign ahead of Monday’s vote.
Mr Carney also cancelled two major rallies. He was expected to join British Columbia Premier David Eby and community leaders on Sunday evening in Vancouver.
“Last night families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, father, son or a daughter. Those families are living every family’s nightmare,” Mr Carney said. “And to them and to the many others who were injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver, I would like to offer my deepest condolences.”
Police said early on Sunday they were “confident that this incident was not an act of terrorism”.
Police later ruled out terrorism, saying the suspect has history of mental health issues.
“It is the darkest day in Vancouver’s history,” Vancouver Police interim chief Steve Rai told a news conference.
“The person we have in custody does have a significant history of interactions with police and health care professionals related to mental health,” he said.
Mr Rai told a news conference a man was arrested 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.
Mr 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”.
The festival was held in a South Vancouver neighbourhood.
Video posted on social media showed victims and debris strewn across a long stretch of road, with at least seven people lying immobile on the ground.
A black SUV with a crumpled front section could be seen in photos from the scene.
Carayn Nulada said she pulled her granddaughter and grandson off the street and used her body to shield them from the SUV, while her daughter had a narrow escape.
“The car hit her arm and she fell down, but she got up, looking for us because she is scared,” said Ms Nulada, who described children screaming and pale-faced victims lying on the ground.
“I saw people running and my daughter was shaking.”
Ms Nulada was speaking from Vancouver General Hospital where she was attempting to find out news about her brother, who was run down in the attack and suffered multiple broken bones.
Doctors identified him by presenting the family with his wedding ring in a pill bottle and said he was stable but would be facing surgery.
James Cruzat, a Vancouver business owner, was at the event and heard a car rev its engine and then “a loud noise, like a loud bang” that he initially thought might be a gunshot.
“We saw people on the road crying, others were like running, shouting, or even screaming, asking for help,” he said. “We tried to go there just to check what was really actually happening until we found some bodies on the ground. Others were lifeless, others injured.
“It was terrible to see that kind of incident, that situation. It was heartbreaking.
“I couldn’t even imagine that it’s actually happening in real life, because normally we see that on TVs or movies. But when you are in that kind situation, it was really shocking. Like, you couldn’t think really, really well. You couldn’t do anything but to pray for them.”
Vancouver Mayor Kenneth Sim said in on social media: “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.”
He said city officials would provide more information when possible.
Vancouver had more than 38,600 residents of Filipino heritage in 2021, representing 5.9% of the city’s population, according to Statistics Canada which conducts the national census.
Lapu Lapu Day celebrates Datu Lapu-Lapu, an Indigenous chieftain who stood up to Spanish explorers who came to the Philippines in the 16th century.
The organisers of the Vancouver event said he “represents the soul of native resistance, a powerful force that helped shape the Filipino identity in the face of colonisation”.
Mr Carney and other political leaders on the final day of the election campaign posted messages expressing shock at the violence, condolences for victims and support for the community celebrating its heritage.
“I offer my deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver,” Mr Carney said. “We are all mourning with you.”
Mr Carney delayed his campaign events scheduled for Sunday.
Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party who was at the festival earlier in the day, said: “As we wait to learn more, our thoughts are with the victims and their families – and Vancouver’s Filipino community, who were coming together today to celebrate resilience.”
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre said: “My thoughts are with the Filipino community and all the victims targeted by this senseless attack. Thank-you to the first responders who are at the scene as we wait to hear more.”
Mr Eby, the premier of British Columbia, the province where Vancouver is located, said he was shocked and heartbroken. “We are in contact with the City of Vancouver and will provide any support needed,” he added.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr issued a statement expressing sympathy with the victims and their families.
“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,” he said.
