Toronto, Canada, Apr 27 (EFE) – Canadian authorities identified the suspected driver Sunday in a Vancouver car crash that left 11 people dead as 30-year-old Kai-Ji Adam Lo and said his victims’ were aged 5 to 65.
Lo was arrested by police after being apprehended by bystanders when he drove into a crowd of people at the Filipino-Canadian community’s Lapu Lapu street festival. He was charged with eight counts of murder and is scheduled to appear before a judge in the coming hours.
In a press conference held Sunday afternoon, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai repeatedly stated that the tragedy was rooted in a mental health issue and defended the security measures taken for the street festival.
Rai had previously revealed that the alleged perpetrator is an individual “known” to police who suffers from mental health issues, and ruled out the attack as a terrorist act.
“I can say that the person in custody has a significant history of interactions with police and mental health professionals. I cannot publicly identify the person we have in custody because charges have not yet been filed,” he said.
Rai also said during the press conference that some of the victims of the attack have not yet been identified and that “dozens” of people were injured. Some of them are in critical condition, and authorities fear the death toll will rise in the coming days.
The attack occurred at 8:14pm local time Saturday (3:14am GMT on Sunday) on a busy city street during the final moments of the Filipino-Canadian Lapu Lapu street festival, when tens of thousands of people were still present.
The driver of the vehicle, a black Audi SUV, entered a closed area where a crowd of people were gathered and accelerated, mowing down pedestrians.
Images broadcast by Canadian television show a vehicle with the same characteristics as the one described by witnesses with its front end completely destroyed.
An estimated 40,000 people of Filipino origin live in Vancouver, Canada’s third most populous city and located on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.
Meanwhile, in the area of the attack, numerous citizens have been leaving flowers and messages of condolence for the families of the victims since early Sunday.
The attack led to the suspension of electoral events scheduled for Sunday in Vancouver as the final day of campaigning for the Canadian legislative elections. On Monday, nearly 28 million Canadians are expected to vote to elect the 343 members of the lower house of parliament. EFE
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