A Fil-Canadian Remembers Fateful Day of Lapu-Lapu Festival Carnage
VANCOUVER, BC — The day of the Lapu-Lapu Festival in a South Vancouver neighborhood on Saturday was supposed to be a happy one — it was a block party, after all.
Colorful food trucks lined East 43rd Avenue near Fraser Street, while festival-goers cheerfully walked around, trying every Filipino delicacy they could get their hands on.
By midday, the crowd was thick along East 43rd Avenue. The weather was cooperative — perfect, even — for the mini concert held on a stage behind the grounds of a local high school.
For Farrah Gutierrez, a Filipina immigrant in Canada, it couldn’t have gotten any better. Kids and adults around her were singing to the music played onstage and blaring through little speakers later in the day.
“Ang saya nga doon the whole day e. Everyone was having a good time. Ang ganda ng weather kahapon so there were a lot of people who came. It was the second year of the event and this time, the organizer made sure it was bigger and had a better system,” she recalled.
“We took our photo in the middle of East 43rd Street, exactly where the crime happened. Nakangiti pa kami dyan,” Farrah shared.
She had come with family and enjoyed seeing the activities around her. Surrounded by a friendly crowd, she felt safe. Nothing, it seemed, could ruin their beautiful spring day.
That would eventually change by day’s end. “Little did we know that a car would violently ram into people later in the day,” Gutierrez said, getting emotional.
She added, “We left the Lapu-Lapu Day event yesterday at 3 p.m. The incident happened at 8 p.m.”
According to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), at approximately 8:14 p.m. on April 26, a man drove into a large crowd of people. He was immediately arrested.
Police said that “a number” of people were killed and several others injured. Authorities initially told reporters it was a “mass casualty incident.”
“It’s devastating. Tahimik dito and wala namang anti-Filipino sentiment that I’ve heard of,” Gutierrez later posted on social media. She assured friends that she and her family are safe.
On Sunday morning, April 27, the VPD announced that the death toll had risen from 9 to 11. “Eleven people, aged 5 to 65, were killed, and more than two dozen others injured,” VPD
Acting Chief Steve Rai told the media. He added that the number of dead could rise in the coming days or weeks. By Sunday evening, Vancouver Police announced that suspect Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, a Vancouverr resident, had been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder. Lo has appeared in court and remains in police custody.
The charge assessment is ongoing, and further charges are anticipated as some victims in Saturday’s mass-casualty incident remain unidentified. For Farrah, the tragedy calls for strengthened community solidarity.
“Let’s offer prayers, and practical support if we can, to those who are affected in different
ways. May they be comforted and receive the help they need,” she said.
Police are now calling on witnesses who have not yet come forward to contact the Department’s Homicide Unit, and for anyone with images or bystander video to cooperate with investigators.
The supposedly happy event ended with flags flown at half-mast, as ordered by the Vancouver city government.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney immediately offered condolences and later personally laid flowers in memory of the victims.
“In this incredibly difficult moment, we will comfort the grieving, care for one another, and unite in common purpose,” he said, addressing his constituents just hours before Canada’s federal elections.
In Manila, Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., “shattered” by the incident, shared in the grief of the families. He assured close coordination by the Philippine Consulate General with Canadian authorities.
Murder raps filed vs. Vancouver car ramming suspect
Eight counts of second degree murder have been filed against the suspect in the death of multiple festival-goers at a Filipino community block party, the Vancouver Police Department announced in a statement on Sunday evening.
The BC Prosecution Service has now charged Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, for the April 26 incident. Lo, a Vancouver resident, has appeared in court and remains in custody, police said.
The charge assessment is ongoing and further charges are anticipated. Eleven people, aged 5 to 65, were killed, and more than two dozen others injured when the suspect drove an SUV into a crowd of people celebrating the Lapu Lapu Day festival near Fraser Street on East 43rd Avenue.
Police called on witnesses who have not yet come forward to contact the Vancouver Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 604-717-2500 and speak with investigators.
Anyone with images or bystander video of the incident is asked to visit vpd.ca and upload it to an online portal so it can be reviewed by investigators.
The Vancouver Police Department has established a 24-hour assistance centre at the Douglas Park Community Centre, 801 West 22nd Avenue, for anyone who has not been able to contact a friend or family member.
Anyone who cannot attend in person can call 604-717-3321 to speak with a victim-liaison officer.
The City extends its deepest condolences to the Filipino community and all those impacted by this tragedy.
Photo: Farrah Gutierrez, RTVM, and Alberta Radio
