Accused killer in Lapu Lapu Day tragedy to appear in B.C. court Friday
As Vancouver tries to move to a new normal after Saturday's mass killing at a Filipino festival, accused killer Kai-ji Adam Lo will make his next appearance in court Friday afternoon.
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Lo, who is facing eight counts of second-degree murder, was supposed to be back in Vancouver provincial court May 26, but Damienne Darby of the B.C. Prosecution Service said the date change was requested by Lo's lawyer, Mark Swartz.
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Vancouver police Sgt. Steve Addison confirmed Thursday that Lo had a valid B.C. driver's licence despite his history of mental-health interactions with police.
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Postmedia News reported that just the day before the vehicle rampage, Lo contacted Richmond RCMP and told an officer he was worried that someone was throwing things in the back of his vehicle. The call was documented in the police database PRIME, where VPD officers saw it after Lo was arrested.
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Addison said that of the surviving victims 13 remain in hospital — four in critical condition and two in serious condition.
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'All of the streets have now reopened,' he said. 'We really thank everybody for their patience and understanding, particularly people who live in the neighbourhood, particularly people who have businesses in the neighbourhood that were impacted by the rather large closures that were there.'
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Investigators are still looking for more witnesses and want the public to turn over any video or photo evidence they have. The VPD said the community support centre set up on East 43rd Avenue will remain open all weekend from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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VPD Insp. Jeff Neuman said Thursday that additional resources will be in place for this weekend's BMO marathon, as well as other events and protests scheduled in the city. Four hundred officers will be working, including 200 'deployed to the marathon,' Neuman said. Both heavy-vehicle and light-vehicle barriers will be in place.
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Addison also provided information about the VPD's mental-health services, which include an investigative unit with 21 constables and two sergeants, as well as the Car 87 program — a joint initiative with Vancouver Coastal Health, where eight officers are partnered with nurses to respond to mental-health crises.
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VCH confirmed earlier that Lo was on an extended release from hospital and in the care of a mental-health team at the time of the murders.
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But Richmond Coun. Kash Heed said Eby should have been doing more. Heed brought a motion to his city council that passed 18 months ago urging the province to create more 'secure care for individuals suffering from acute drug addiction and critical mental illness.'
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4 days ago
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