- Members of the public leave flowers near the scene where a vehicle drove into the crowd at a Filipino festival in Vancouver the night before, killing 11 people.Chris Helgren/Reuters
- Police officers work at the scene of the fatal vehicle attack during the Lapu Lapu Filipino festival on Saturday.Chris Helgren/Reuters
- Vancouver Police survey the scene the morning after a driver killed multiple people Saturday during a Filipino community festival.Lindsey Wasson/The Associated Press
- Tributes to victims are left at the scene of the attack at the Lapu Lapu Day Filipino festival in Vancouver on Saturday.Chris Helgren/Reuters
- NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, centre, observes a moment of silence for the victims of an attack that killed 11 people at a Filipino festival Saturday evening in Vancouver. Mr. Singh was present at the festival shortly before the attack occurred.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
- Esperanza Bermudez is comforted by friends the morning after a driver killed multiple people during a Filipino community festival near her home in Vancouver.Lindsey Wasson/The Associated Press
- A bouquet of flowers is left near the scene of a fatal vehicle attack at a Filipino festival in Vancouver the night before.Lindsey Wasson/The Associated Press
- A Vancouver police officer armed with a rifle stands guard at the Vancouver Sun Run a day after a man drove through a crowd at a Filipino festival, killing 11 and injuring many more.Jesse Winter/The Globe and Mail
- The suspect vehicle is seen with the driver’s door ajar after it was driven into a crowd at a Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver on Saturday.Chris Helgren/Reuters
- Police inspect the scene where a man drove a vehicle into a crowd of people attending the Lapu Lapu Filipino festival in Vancouver on Saturday.Jesse Winter/The Globe and Mail
- Vancouver Police Department Interim Chief Steve Rai speaks to the media near the scene of the mass-casualty attack at the Lapu Lapu festival.Jesse Winter/The Globe and Mail
Eleven people are dead after an SUV barreled through a large Filipino street festival in Vancouver Saturday evening, in what Vancouver Police Department Interim Chief Steve Rai has called “the darkest day in our city’s history.”
“We believe dozens more are injured, some seriously, and the number of dead could rise in the coming days or weeks,” Mr. Rai said at a press conference in Vancouver on Sunday morning.
He said investigators are still working to determine the motive for the attack, but police don’t believe it was an act of terrorism.
Mr. Rai described the 30-year-old driver as having “a significant history of interactions with police and police and health care professionals related to mental health.”
He said the man, who is from Vancouver, is not currently being identified, as charges haven’t been laid against him yet. He is currently in a secure cell in police custody.
The names, ages, or genders of the victims are also not yet being released.
What we know so far about the deadly vehicle incident at Vancouver Lapu Lapu festival
“It is impossible to overstate how many lives have been impacted forever by this lone individual. There are many unanswered questions about this horrific crime, the motive of the person who did it, and whether anything could have been done to prevent it,” Mr. Rai said.
“There are many things we still don’t know. We are working hard to get all of the answers.”
The attack happened shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday night, when a man driving a black Audi SUV drove into a large crowd of people at the Lapu Lapu street festival, which was happening near John Oliver Secondary School at 41st Street and Fraser Street.
Mr. Rai said the event was wrapping up around that time, but there were still many people in the area when the SUV approached from the west and entered a small, enclosed area where food trucks were parked.
The SUV then drove into the crowd, striking multiple people before coming to rest in the street.
Secondary
School
Approximate location of incident
Lapu Lapu Day
Festival area
john sopinski/the globe and mail, Source:vancouver police;
lapulapuday.com; openstreetmap
John Oliver
Secondary
School
Approximate location of incident
Lapu Lapu Day
Festival area
john sopinski/the globe and mail, Source:vancouver police;
lapulapuday.com; openstreetmap
John Oliver
Secondary
School
Lapu Lapu Day
Festival area
john sopinski/the globe and mail, Source:vancouver police;
lapulapuday.com; openstreetmap
The driver of the vehicle was apprehended by people at the scene and taken into police custody.
Videos from the scene showed bodies strewn on the ground, as people tried to resuscitate and aid the injured. A black SUV could be seen on the road, with its hood and bumper crushed.
Mr. Rai said the vehicle is owned by someone associated with the family of the accused.
“It is hard to make sense of something so senseless, and I know there are questions about whether this tragedy could have been prevented,” Mr. Rai said.
Vancouver’s interim police chief says this is the darkest day in the city’s history after Saturday night’s deadly incident when a vehicle was driven into a crowded festival, killing 11 and injuring dozens more. Steve Rai told reporters that consultations had determined that dedicated officers and heavy vehicle barricades would not be used at the festival site.
The Globe and Mail
He said police worked with the City of Vancouver to conduct a risk assessment before the festival, most of which took place on the grounds of the high school, not directly accessible via public roadway.
“We review over 3,200 events every year, and assess the risks with City partners. This event was no exception,” he said.
“We determined through consultations with the City of Vancouver and festival organizers that dedicated police officers and heavy vehicle barricades would not be deployed at the festival site.”
Mr. Rai says he’s confident that the joint risk assessment and public safety plan for the event was sound, but that police will be reviewing the circumstances around the attack. He said “it goes without saying this will change the landscape for deployment for police going forward.”
He said more than 100 police officers are currently working on the investigation, working with the injured, interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence from the crime scene.
With reports from Moira Wyton
