At least 11 people have died and more than 20 people have been injured after a man rammed an SUV through a crowd at a Filipino community festival in Vancouver.
Acting police chief Steve Rai told a press conference that a man has been arrested but they are not treating it as an act of terrorism.
Rai called the incident a “senseless” and “heartbreaking” act of violence at the Lapu Lapu festival.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Sunday he was “shattered to hear about the terrible incident.”
The suspect vehicle is seen with the driver’s door open, as bodies of victims lie covered on the ground, aft
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Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney makes a statement about the incident at the Lapu Lapu Day block party
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A paramedic works at the scene, after a vehicle drove into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu day festival
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Speaking at a press conference, Rai said over 100 police officers were working on the case.
“They have been providing comfort to the injured, interviewing eyewitnesses and collecting key pieces of evidence from throughout the crime scene” he told a press conference.
Rai confirmed the suspect drove a black Audi SUV into an enclosed area, hitting “hundreds” of people at the festival.
The acting police chief also confirmed the 30-year-old male suspect, who is in custody, is a Vancouver resident.
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An ambulance is parked at the site of the Lapu Lapu day
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A map showing the location of the incident
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Steve Rai, Vancouver Police interim police chief, speaks during a news conference
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Rai confirmed the driver has a “significant history of interactions with police and health-care professionals related to mental health.”
Detectives investigating the case are not naming a suspect because no charge has been announced yet.
Officers have now confirmed the victims are both male and female, with Rai adding that “young people” are included among the dead.
Asked if more could have been done to prevent the attack, Rai said, “This particular event did not have any indicators” needed to respond to a “higher threat level”, noting that last year’s festival had no issues and no police were required.
An ambulance is parked at the site of the Lapu Lapu day
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King Charles III, who is head of state in Canada, said: “Our hearts and prayers go out to all those whose lives have been shattered by such a desperate tragedy and we send our deepest possible sympathy at a most agonising time for so many in Canada.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is set to face off against Pierre Poilievre in tomorrow’s federal election, said: “Last night, families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son or a daughter. Those families are living every family’s nightmare.”
Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, was among the attendees at the event, but left minutes before the vehicle arrived, he told reporters.
“We don’t know the motives, we don’t know any of the details, but ultimately this is something that targeted the Filipino community,” he said.
“I was there, and I just imagined the faces of the kids I saw smiling and dancing. It’s horrific,”
