5-year-old girl and parents among those dead in vehicle ramming in Vancouver

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — As members of the Le family headed out the door to enjoy music, food and camaraderie at the annual Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver over the weekend, their 16-year-old son decided to instead stay home to finish homework.

Then news began arriving of a car plowing through the crowds.

His father, Richard Le, his stepmother Linh Hoang and his 5-year-old sister Katie Le, were among 11 people killed, said Richard Le’s brother, Toan Le, in the latest fatal car ramming incident around the globe.

The teenage boy is in a state of shock, Le said, grappling with the sudden loss. Katie Le was nearing graduation from kindergarten and was described as a vibrant and joyful child in a GoFundMe page posted by Toan Le.

Hours before the attack, Makayla Bailey saw her friend Kira Salim, a teacher and school counselor, for the first time in awhile and Salim had apologized for not being out and about more.

“I told them, ‘It’s ok it’s been crappy out, the weather sucks, summer’s coming so I’m sure we’ll see each other a lot more,’” Bailey said, recalling in an interview Salim's drag king performances that audiences loved.

“I didn’t think it would be the last conversation we would ever have," said Bailey.

Salim, who Baily said had “so much personality,” was among the celebrants killed in the attack, according to the New Westminster School District, where Salim worked.

The black Audi SUV sped down a closed, food-truck-lined street Saturday evening and struck people attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival, which celebrates Datu Lapu-Lapu, an Indigenous chieftain who stood up to Spanish explorers who came to the Philippines in the 16th century.

Thirty-two people were hurt, and 17 were still hospitalized late Sunday, including some in critical and serious condition, the British Columbia Health Ministry said. Those killed ranged in age from 5 to 65, officials said.

The attack happened minutes after a performance by Apl.de.ap, a Filipino-American artist from the band the Black Eyed Peas, the singer said in an Instagram post Sunday, urging his followers to keep the victims in their prayers.

A 30-year-old man was charged with multiple counts of murder in the deaths, and mourners including the Canadian prime minister remembered the dead at vigils across the city.

Kai-Ji Adam Lo was charged with eight counts of second-degree murder in a video appearance before a judge Sunday, said Damienne Darby, spokeswoman for British Columbia prosecutors. Lo has not yet entered a plea.

A woman who answered the phone Monday at the home of Lo’s mother, Lisa Lo, said that the mother was too distraught to speak to a reporter.

Investigators ruled out terrorism as a motive and said more charges were possible. They said Lo had a history of mental health issues.

The Associated Press could not immediately reach an attorney representing him. Online records showed that Vancouver Provincial Court issued a publication ban barring the release of details about the legal case against Ko. Such bans are common in Canada to protect the rights of the accused to a fair trial as well as the privacy of crime victims.

While attending a vigil, Vancouver Mayor Kenneth Sim said the Filipino community and the city were "heartbroken, were sad, were scared and there’s a bit of anger there, too.”

Interim Police Chief Steve Rai said there was no indication of a motive but that the suspect has “a significant history of interactions with police and health care professionals related to mental health.”

Video of the aftermath showed the dead and injured along a narrow street in South Vancouver. The front of the SUV was smashed in.

Kris Pangilinan, who brought his pop-up clothing and lifestyle booth to the festival, saw the vehicle roll slowly past a barricade before the driver accelerated in an area packed with people after a concert. He said hearing the sounds of people screaming and bodies hitting the vehicle will never leave his mind.

“He slammed on the gas, barreled through the crowd,” Pangilinan said. "It looked like a bowling ball hitting bowling pins and all the pins are flying into the air.”

Investigators were collecting evidence at the scene Monday and had executed a search warrant at a Vancouver property, police spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said. Investigators were also going through bystander video from the scene.

Officials will review the situation, and it may change how they approach such events, Addison said.

“This was intended to be a safe, fun, family-friendly community block party for people to celebrate their community and culture,” Addison said. "The actions of one person stole that away from them.”

Suspect detained by bystanders

Rai said the suspect was arrested after initially being apprehended by bystanders.

Video circulating on social media showed 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 said, holding his hand to his head. Rai declined to comment on the video.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Sunday, a day before a national election. He canceled his first campaign event and two major rallies on the final day of the campaign before the country votes on Monday.

“Last night families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, father, son or a daughter. Those families are living every family's nightmare,” Carney said. He joined British Columbia Premier David Eby and community leaders Sunday evening in Vancouver.

Carney posted a photo of himself on X lighting a candle at a makeshift memorial near the scene of the attack.

The assault was reminiscent of an attack in 2018, when a man used a van to kill 10 pedestrians in Toronto.

Witnesses describe leaping out of the way

Carayn Nulada said that she pulled her granddaughter and grandson off the street and used her body to shield them from the SUV. She said her daughter made a narrow escape.

“The car hit her arm, and she fell down, but she got up, looking for us, because she is scared,” said Nulada, who described children screaming and victims lying on the ground or wedged under vehicles.

Nulada was at Vancouver General Hospital on Sunday morning, trying to learn 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 that he was stable but would need surgery.

James Cruzat, a Vancouver business owner, was at the celebration. He heard a car engine rev 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," Cruzat said.

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Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes and Lindsey Wasson in Vancouver; Teresa Cerojano in Manila, Philippines; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska; and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City, Utah, contributed to this report.