A 'joyful' pre-schooler and her parents among victims of Vancouver attack

Yahoo

29-04-2025

Victims of the car attack that left 11 people dead at a festival in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday have not yet been named by police, but they are now being identified online by family and colleagues.
The victims, nine females and two males, range in age from a five-year-old girl to a 65-year-old man. More than two dozen other people were injured, according to police.
Up to 100,000 revellers were celebrating the Lapu-Lapu festival in Canada's largest west coast city when the attack occurred.
A 30-year-old man has been arrested and is facing multiple murder charges. Officials have not yet released a motive, but say the case is not being treated as terrorism.
Seven victims in hospital were in a critical condition, according to Vancouver police spokesman Sgt Steve Addison. Three others were in a serious condition.
Here's what we know about some of those who have been identified in social media posts and on fundraising pages by family and colleagues.
Katie Le, five, was the youngest person to die in the attack. She was killed along with her father, Richard Le, 47, and mother Linh Hoang, 30.
Her 16-year-old brother, who stayed home from the festival to do homework, is the family's sole survivor, a relative wrote on a GoFundMe page.
"This event was meant to be a joyful community gathering, celebrating unity and the strength of a connected people," wrote Richard Le's brother, Toan Le.
Katie was about to graduate from kindergarten, and was "vibrant, joyful, and full of life".
Toan Le remembered his brother Richard Le as "a dedicated father, badminton and tennis coach, and real estate professional".
"He devoted his life to teaching young people the values of sportsmanship and team spirit. He served his community and clients with pride and always went out of his way to help others," he wrote.
Linh Hoang "was known for her kindness and gentle spirit", and had recently been planning a trip to visit family in Vietnam.
Toan Le told CTV News the 16-year-old survivor was still in shock.
"He's still trying to absorb the situation, and I don't think he is fully comprehending what has happened," he said, adding that the boy was in the care of family.
Kira Salim, a teacher and counsellor at Fraser River Middle School and New Westminster Secondary School, was among those killed.
"Kira was a valued member of our community whose wisdom and care for our middle and secondary school students had a powerful impact," school officials Maya Russell and Mark Davidson wrote in a statement.
"The loss of our friend and colleague has left us all shocked and heartbroken," they added.
"We recognize Kira's passing may be difficult to process," the school district's statement said.
"We are a small but mighty community. This is one of the qualities of New Westminster that Kira loved the most," they wrote.
Salim is described in a LinkedIn page as a mental health provider and educator.
"My personal mission is facilitating and guiding youth and marginalized communities to thrive in their lives while creating a diverse and equitable environment that uplifts different strengths and personalities while providing customized and innovative solutions to support patients," Salim wrote.
Salim wrote in a post that it "is a dream come true" after taking a job at Frazer River Middle School nine months ago.
New West Pride, an LGBT advocacy group, memorialised Salim with a photo.
"They were an epic drag king, a wonderful exuberant contributer [sic] to our local community, volunteer, activist, local educator, mental health worker," the group wrote.
"Kira will be deeply missed."
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