What we all know concerning the Vancouver automobile ramming assault

[ad_1] Bernd Debusmann Jr BBC Information, Washington

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/d63f/live/4f4c4070-23b7-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/d63f/live/4f4c4070-23b7-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/d63f/live/4f4c4070-23b7-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/d63f/live/4f4c4070-23b7-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/d63f/live/4f4c4070-23b7-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/d63f/live/4f4c4070-23b7-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/d63f/live/4f4c4070-23b7-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/d63f/live/4f4c4070-23b7-11f0-8c2e-77498b1ce297.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="Reuters A man putting flowers on a fence" class="sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe"/> Reuters Eleven folks had been killed after a suspected automobile ramming assault within the Canadian metropolis of Vancouver on Saturday.

The incident, which happened on the annual Lapu Lapu competition celebrating Filipino tradition, additionally left dozens of individuals injured.

A 30-year-old male suspect has been recognized as Kai-Ji Adam Lo. He's in custody and faces a number of homicide costs.

What occurred?

The assault happened at roughly 20:14 native time on Saturday (03:14 GMT on Sunday) at an occasion marking Lapu Lapu Day, which is widely known yearly on 27 April.

Police later stated that tens of hundreds of individuals had been in attendance.

Competition-goers stated a single car was concerned within the assault, which happened on East forty third Avenue and Fraser within the south of Vancouver.

"There is a automobile that went simply by way of the entire road and simply hitting everybody," eyewitness Abigail Andiso advised the Related Press.

"I noticed one useless, one man on the bottom, and I went... in direction of the top the place the automobile went, then there are extra casualties, and you'll see right away there are about... possibly 20 folks down, and everyone seems to be panicking, everyone seems to be screaming."

James Cruzat, one other eyewitness, advised AP: "It was heartbreaking. I could not even think about that it is truly taking place in actual life, as a result of usually we see that [on] TV or [in] motion pictures. It was actually stunning."

Different witnesses reported that among the pedestrians who had been struck had been near the place meals vehicles had been parked.

The motive force of the car was apprehended by bystanders and brought into custody by cops.

What's the Lapu Lapu competition?

The Lapu Lapu Competition in Vancouver, and comparable festivals within the Philippines and around the globe, happen yearly to commemorate Lapu-Lapu, a nationwide hero who resisted Spanish colonisation within the 1500s.

Often known as Lapulapu, Lapu Lapu was an indigenous chief of Mactan, an island within the Philippines.

In 1521, he and his males defeated Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan and a few of his native allies on the battle of Mactan, delaying Spanish occupation of the area for over 40 years.

He's thought-about a hero within the modern-day Philippines, and monuments in his honour are frequent across the nation.

A number of Filipino authorities organisations - such because the nationwide police service - use his picture on their seals.

Lapu Lapu Day was formally recognised by the federal government of British Columbia in 2023. Filipinos kind one of many largest immigrant teams within the province.

Who had been the victims?

Up to now, little or no is thought concerning the id of these had been had been killed and wounded within the assault.

In a short information convention on Saturday, performing Vancouver police chief Steve Rai stated that males, ladies and younger folks had been among the many victims.

Their ages vary from 5 to 65, he added.

The assault has deeply affected Vancouver's tight-knit Filipino neighborhood.

RJ Aquino, the pinnacle of the Filipino BC organisation, stated that "final evening was extraordinarily tough and the neighborhood will really feel this for a very long time."

"We all know that there is numerous questions floating about and we do not have all of the solutions, however we need to inform everyone that we're grieving," he added.

Who's the suspect?

Police have named the suspect as Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, and have charged him with eight counts of second diploma homicide.

"The cost evaluation is ongoing and additional costs are anticipated," police stated in a press release.

Whereas investigators haven't confirmed a motive, Rai stated that police are assured "that the proof on this case doesn't lead us to imagine this was an act of terrorism."