Preliminary discussions underway for permanent memorial for Lapu-Lapu festival victims
A permanent memorial is being considered for the victims of the Lapu-Lapu Day festival attack that brought tragedy to Vancouver, April 26.
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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Lapu-Lapu murder suspect to face trial on mental fitness
Kai-Ji Adam Lo, the suspect in the Vancouver street festival tragedy that left 11 people dead and dozens injured, will face a two-day trial later this summer to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial for murder. Mark Swartz, Lo's lawyer, requested the trial at a hearing Friday in Vancouver Provincial Court to confirm an in-custody mental health assessment has been completed. The mental fitness trial will be scheduled to run for two days, likely in July, under presiding Judge Reginald Harris. Lo will be required to attend in person. Lo is accused of driving his SUV through a crowd of people at the Filipino community's Lapu-Lapu Day street festival on April 26. He is charged with eight counts of second-degree murder. A five-year-old girl, eight women and two men were killed in the car-ramming. Lo appeared in court Friday via video from where he is being held. He had unruly hair, a thin moustache and was wearing a black sweatshirt. Crown prosecutor Michaela Donnelly requested an updated psychological report be done in the weeks before the mental fitness trial. Harris agreed, stating that in his experience in similar type cases that mental health can change and evolve "dramatically." Some details revealed in Lo's court proceedings so far are under a publication ban and Swartz indicated he will be asking for a similar ban on evidence brought at the trial. Harris said he is required to balance the open court system and the right of media to inform the public versus the possibility of tainting a future jury in a murder trial — if the case comes to that — and preserving Lo's charter right to a fair trial.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
1 month later, Lapu-Lapu Day witness, victim reflect on their experiences
Rosadene Alcala Apeles was thinking of packing their jewelry booth at the end of the Lapu-Lapu Day festival just over a month ago when they spotted an SUV driving very quickly towards them. Apeles says their table was located close to the unprotected barrier that closed off 43rd Avenue for food trucks and vendors at the festival. "I saw that black SUV — it was coming in pretty hot, and I felt like, this is a school zone. Why is it going so fast?" they told CBC's On the Coast host Gloria Macarenko. "And then the car just didn't stop." Apeles heard tires screeching. And then the car raced out of view. They soon realized they had just witnessed the first injury and the first casualty that took place that evening. It's been just over a month since the Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy occurred on April 26. Eleven people were killed, and dozens more were injured. The victims include a mother visiting her sons from the Philippines, a family that had come to Canada to escape violence in Colombia, another family that left behind a 16-year-old son who had stayed home that day, and a high school teacher. Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, has since been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder in connection with the crash. Witnesses and those who were injured at the event say they are still recovering — mentally and physically — from what they saw and experienced. "I think that fundamentally I am a different person than I was at the start of that day," Apeles said. "I have come to terms that this event is going to be part of who I am, whether that be for the better or the worse." Some witnesses and victims also say the past month has been a time to reflect: about their community, their families and the state of mental health care in B.C. Apeles, who works as a mental health support worker and harm reduction specialist, says the tragedy has underscored the need for more support for those suffering from mental illness. "If we want a healthy society where these tragedies don't happen, we need to acknowledge that we can't sweep these tragedies under the rug," they said. "The people who enabled this to happen have to apologize. They have to make commitments to do better." Christi-Ann Watkins, 43, performed and helped produce the show at the festival. Her 11-year-old son Knox had performed as well. They had just wrapped up at the main stage and decided to grab a bite to eat at one of the food vendors. She was feeling happy about how well everything had turned out. "The vibe was great," Watkins told BC Today host Michelle Eliot. "Although Lapu-Lapu was tragic, it was still a beautiful day for so many people." Watkins says she was standing near the vendors, holding her son's hand, when out of nowhere she was hit from behind. "I didn't see this car, didn't hear this car, nothing," she said. "And I remember mentally processing what was happening to me that just all of a sudden I just got hit and my brain understood it as, 'This was a car that hit you.'" Watkins fell to the ground. Her whole body was in pain, and it hurt to breathe. She says she just told herself to keep her eyes open and keep breathing. Someone quickly put pressure on her head because she was bleeding. An arm's length away, people were trying to resuscitate a girl with no pulse. She panicked and reached out, worried it was her son. Just then, a friend came up and told her not to worry. She had Knox, and he was safe. Watkins was put in an ambulance and sent to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster. She says she maintained consciousness through it all. Her injuries included a laceration due to blunt force trauma to her head, fractured vertebrae in her neck, fractured ribs, pelvis and knee. She also had a punctured lung, laceration to her spleen and kidney, and road rash from her ankles all the way up to her head. "I'm very aware of the fact that I'm still here and things could be a lot worse," she said. Watkins was in hospital for 10 days. She expected to be there for months. While she was there, she accepted a steady stream of visitors, which she credits for her recovery. Hopped up on painkillers, she recounted what happened hundreds of times. "I don't find it daunting," she said. "I just need people to know what happened because I'm here to tell it." Back at home, Watkins still very much struggles with the pain from her injuries. She says it doesn't take much to leave her exhausted. Her husband is on leave from his job to care for her. Despite what happened to her, Watkins says she has chosen not to let anger overcome her. Instead, she is focusing on having a second chance with her family and the present. And also, the outpouring of love and support from her community. A month later, she says, fundraisers are still happening. The support is still there. But Watkins isn't leaving negative emotions out entirely. Like Apeles, she is critical of B.C.'s mental health system. "He needs help, too," she said of the suspect, Kai-Ji Adam Lo.
Toronto Star
6 days ago
- Toronto Star
Toronto to boost street festival security funding in the wake of Lapu-Lapu Day attack
The city of Toronto will inject an additional $750,000 in funding for festivals this summer to bolster security in the wake of the deadly Lapu-Lapu Day vehicle attack in Vancouver. The announcement followed a safety summit in Toronto on Monday morning, where 150 representatives from festivals across the city met with elected officials, including Mayor Olivia Chow.
