Latest news with #SUVattack
The Independent
23-07-2025
- The Independent
Hearing starts to decide the mental fitness of the suspect in Vancouver car ramming attack
A court in Vancouver opened a hearing on Wednesday to determine whether a man accused of killing 11 people by ramming an SUV into a crowd during a Filipino heritage festival in April was mentally fit to stand trial. Adam Kai-Ji Lo, 30, was originally charged with eight counts of second-degree murder in the tragedy that struck the Lapu Lapu Day Street festival in Vancouver, British Columbia. Dozens of people were also injured. Police say six of the injured remain in hospital in stable condition. Vancouver police laid three additional charges on Tuesday, bringing the total number of counts to 11. Investigators had previously ruled out terrorism and said Lo had a history of mental health issues. During the hearing, witnesses described narrowly jumping out of the way of the speeding vehicle as bodies flew through the air. Provincial Court Judge Reg Harris has ordered a ban on publicizing any evidence presented during the hearing. Lo, who is being held in a forensic psychiatric facility, attended previous hearings by a video link. He was in the courtroom on Wednesday but watched the proceedings from behind a plexiglass barrier. At times he sat with his hands folded in his lap or resting them by his side. Earlier Wednesday, prosecutor Michaela Donnelly said a decision expected Friday from the Supreme Court of Canada could affect how lower courts view the standard of fitness to stand trial. 'The law might be changed overnight,' said Donnelly. 'That raises the question should we even start.' Harris said that since witnesses were ready to testify, it made sense to him that the hearing continue. Isabel Grant, a professor at the Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, said the purpose of the hearing is to determine if the accused is able to participate in their trial. 'The test in Canada for unfitness is whether (the person) is unable, on account of mental disorder, to conduct a defense at any stage of the proceedings,' said Grant. Key questions, she said, are whether the suspect can understand the nature of the proceedings, do they understand the consequences of the proceedings and are they able to communicate with their attorneys. If the person is found fit, a trial can proceed. A person found unfit to stand trial would be held at a forensic psychiatric institution where they would undergo psychiatric treatment 'with a view of rendering (them) fit to stand trial,' Grant said. A review board would determine if the treatment the suspect received made them fit to stand trial. The person could also spend the rest of their life in a psychiatric facility. 'It is quite possible you would have someone found unfit, and then later fit,' she said. The hearing continues on Thursday.
CBC
23-07-2025
- CBC
Judge to determine if suspect in Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy fit to stand trial
Today the man accused of driving an SUV into a crowd of people at the Lapu-Lapu day festival in Vancouver is expected in court again. The hearing will determine if he is fit to stand trial. Kai Ji Adam Lo is also now facing 11 counts of second-degree murder, up from eight previously. The judge will try to determine if he has the capacity to understand what he's accused of, whether he can communicate with his lawyer, and whether he can make decisions related to the case.
CTV News
23-07-2025
- CTV News
Fitness hearing for Adam Kai-Ji Lo, accused of 11 murders at Vancouver festival
Debris is seen on East 43rd Avenue in Vancouver, where a vehicle drove into crowd at a Lapu Lapu Day festival the night before, on Sunday April 27, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Rich Lam VANCOUVER — The man accused of ramming an SUV into a crowd and killing 11 people at the Vancouver Lapu Lapu Day festival is set to appear in court today, with a judge determining if he's fit to stand trial. RJ Aquino, the chair of festival organizer Filipino BC, says the court proceedings could prove 'traumatizing' for victims and members of the Filipino community. He says many have expressed anger and frustration since the April 26 attack and still find it difficult to cope with the tragedy almost three months later. Thirty-year-old Adam Kai-Ji Lo faces 11 charges of second-degree murder, after police announced on Tuesday that three additional charges had been approved. Lo is set to appear at Vancouver provincial court for a two-day fitness hearing where a judge will determine his mental fitness for a trial that could be months away. A media consortium that includes The Canadian Press plans today to challenge a publication ban on the fitness hearing that is being sought by the Crown. Under the proposed ban, evidence arising at the fitness hearing would not be publishable until the ban is lifted or after the end of a criminal trial. However, it proposes that the outcome of the fitness hearing may be reported, as well as the outcome of the application for the publication ban. Aquino says community members of the Filipino community will be watching the hearing closely. He says many people want 'speedy closure,' but justice takes time. Aquino says Filipino BC will prepare for all possible outcomes, and support for victims' families and community members will continue. 'We want to make sure that we're providing the support that the community needs, we're able to continue to be present with each other as we inevitably revisit what had happened through these proceedings.' Dozens of people were injured in the attack in East Vancouver, in which a black SUV sped through a street crowded with festivalgoers. Police said in June that seven victims remained in hospital. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025. Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
CTV News
09-07-2025
- CTV News
'Crucial' safety report expected after 11 killed at Vancouver festival
'Crucial' safety report expected after 11 killed at Vancouver festival Safety report is set to be released after an SUV attack at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival in Vancouver that left 11 dead. Regan Hasaegawa reports.
