Sunday April 27, 2025 | VANCOUVER, BC | Posted at 2:55 pm [Last updated 7:09 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends (reporting from VICTORIA, BC)
Vancouver Police Department and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim held a mid-afternoon press conference today April 27 regarding the tragic vehicle crowd attack that happened last night at an outdoor Filipino cultural festival in east Vancouver.
This is the third presser held by VPD about the mass casualty attack since midnight (midnight, 9:15 am, 2:15 pm).
New information revealed and confirmed today included:
- Eleven people have died as a result of the incident
- Ages of the deceased are from 5 years old to 65 years old.
- Several people remain in hospitals with injuries, some of those critical.
- Some of the people in hospital remain unidentified.
The driver of the vehicle is a man age 30 who is known to police for previous mental health-related issues. That man is now in custody; his name is not being revealed at this time as the investigation continues.
UPDATE 6 pm: The name of the driver is Vancouver resident Kai-Ji Adam Lo. The British Columbia Prosecution Service has charged Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, with eight counts of second degree murder and said more charges were possible.
Investigators ruled out terrorism and said Lo had a history of mental health issues.
Lo appeared in court and remains in custody, prosecutors said.
Pressing on mental health issues:
Media last night and today have continued to ask officials — including BC Premier David Eby who held a press conference at 12:30 pm today — about how the mental health aspect of these types of tragedies can be dealt with. Eby was accompanied by Vancouver-Kensington MLA Mable Elmore who is of the Filipino community.
Can the current system finally start dealing with root causes while not becoming a ‘police state’?
Just last week Premier Eby held a press conference about opening 10 new mental health treatment beds within the incarceration system. The effort is complex but seems inadequate given the evident need.
There are political issues of how far a government or society goes to apprehend or provide involuntary care where mental health is the concern. As Vancouver Mayor Sim said today (echoing the Vancouver Acting Police Chief Rai) that we don’t want to become a police state.
Rai, in fact, said the need is not for more on-the-street policing but for more ‘back end’ work to deal with mental health challenges before they become too serious.
An approach seen by some police detachments to send along mental-health nurses on police calls is still about dealing with a problem once it has exacerbated.
Previous news reports on the April 26 event:
Also see our previous news posts as the Saturday night tragedy unfolded:
- Vancouver Police update on vehicle-impact crowd attack: 11 deaths, more expected (April 27, 2025)
- Driver into crowd at Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver causes deaths and injuries (April 26, 2025)
===== RELATED:
- Premier Eby wants answers by June from inquiry into Vancouver mass attack (April 30, 2025)
- Vancouver Police update on vehicle-impact crowd attack: 11 deaths, more expected (April 27, 2025)
- Seeking better BC mental health care response, programs and funding (November 30, 2024)
- Province approaches mental illness & severe addiction on multiple fronts (September 15, 2024)
- Westshore Mental Health and Substance Use Service Hub has opened in Colwood (August 29, 2024)
- West Shore RCMP officer injured during mental health call (August 10, 2023)
- New West Shore RCMP unit will respond to mental health calls (July 17, 2023)
- NEWS SECTIONS: HEALTH | CANADIAN FEDERAL ELECTION 2025