Tragedy in Vancouver

Last Saturday, tragedy struck during Lapu-Lapu Day, a festival held by the Filipino community in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. While the festivities were ongoing on the streets where food trucks, shops, and programs were being held, a speeding SUV ran over the people. When the vehicle crashed, many bodies were seen lying on the road, some bloodied and motionless, others screaming and crying in pain.

The driver of the SUV was pulled out and detained by bystanders and they made sure he wouldn’t escape before the police arrived. The male suspect was Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30. At present, eleven people are dead, ranging from five to sixty-five years old. Lo has now been charged with eight counts of murder, but more may be added. Many more were injured in the incident because there were still several hundred people on the road when the incident occurred. I am sure that most of the dead and injured were Filipino-Canadians.

According to Police Interim Chief Steve Rai, Lo has had several interactions with the police and mental health professionals. If the police already knew that he had mental health issues or had interactions with mental health professionals, why was he still allowed to drive? There are reports that when he was taken out of the SUV and detained, he kept saying “sorry.” He was lucky the mob did not vent their anger on him. The Filipinos may have assimilated the Canadian culture of being tolerant, sensitive, and patient. If that had happened here, the police might not have anything left to arrest especially after seeing children lying motionless on the pavement.

Vancouver will be forced to assess their policies and guidelines regarding street festivals, particularly security and public safety. There are thousands of festivals held in Vancouver every year. They should also study what needs to be done when police are made aware of a person with mental issues or problems. I for one believe they should not be allowed to operate a vehicle.

The police have not released a motive for Lo’s actions. Did he just decide to run over the people? Did a voice tell him to do this? Or was he really targeting the Lapu-Lapu Festival of the Filipino community? If insanity is his defense, he still should not be roaming freely in society. He should be in an institution. We are saddened and shocked by what happened to our “kababayans” in Vancouver. The Vancouver government should do everything to prevent this from happening again to anyone.