Teacher identified among those killed in vehicle ramming at Vancouver street festival

By CLAIRE RUSH and ROB GILLIES
Associated Press

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A teacher and school counselor was identified Monday as one of the 11 people killed when a driver plowed a sport-utility vehicle through a crowd at a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver over the weekend.

Kira Salim worked at two schools in the New Westminster School District southeast of Vancouver, the district said in a statement.

Salim “was a valued member of our community whose wisdom and care for our middle and secondary school students had a powerful impact,” the district’s superintendent and board chair wrote. “Their work, and the great spirit they brought to it, changed lives.”

Those killed ranged in age from 5 to 65, officials said. The youngest was 5-year-old girl Katie Le, who died along with her father, Richard Le, and mother, Linh Hoang, according to Richard’s brother, Toan Le. They were survived by Katie’s 16-year-old brother, who didn’t attend the festival, he said.

The black Audi SUV sped down a closed, food-truck-lined street just after 8 p.m. Saturday and struck people attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival, which celebrates Datu Lapu-Lapu, an Indigenous chieftain who stood up to Spanish explorers who came to the Philippines in the 16th century.

Thirty-two people were hurt, and 17 were still hospitalized late Sunday, including some in critical and serious condition, the British Columbia Health Ministry said.

A 30-year-old man was charged with multiple counts of murder in the deaths, and mourners including the Canadian prime minister remembered the dead at vigils across the city.

Kai-Ji Adam Lo was charged with eight counts of second-degree murder in a video appearance before a judge Sunday, said Damienne Darby, spokeswoman for British Columbia prosecutors. Lo has not yet entered a plea.

Investigators ruled out terrorism as a motive and said more charges were possible. They said Lo had a history of mental health issues.

The Associated Press could not immediately reach an attorney representing him. Online records showed that Vancouver Provincial Court issued a publication ban barring the release of details about the legal case against Ko. Such bans are common in Canada to protect the rights of the accused to a fair trial as well as the privacy of crime victims.

While attending a vigil, Vancouver Mayor Kenneth Sim said the Filipino community and the city were "heartbroken, were sad, were scared and there’s a bit of anger there, too.”

Interim Police Chief Steve Rai called it “the darkest day in Vancouver’s history.” There was no indication of a motive, but Rai said the suspect has “a significant history of interactions with police and health care professionals related to mental health.”

Video of the aftermath showed the dead and injured along a narrow street in South Vancouver. The front of the SUV was smashed in.

Kris Pangilinan, who brought his pop-up clothing and lifestyle booth to the festival, saw the vehicle roll slowly past a barricade before the driver accelerated in an area packed with people after a concert. He said hearing the sounds of people screaming and bodies hitting the vehicle will never leave his mind.

“He slammed on the gas, barreled through the crowd,” Pangilinan said. "It looked like a bowling ball hitting bowling pins and all the pins are flying into the air.”

Investigators were collecting evidence at the scene Monday and had executed a search warrant at a Vancouver property, police spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said. Investigators were also going through bystander video from the scene.

Officials will review the situation, and it may change how they approach such events, Addison said.

“This was intended to be a safe, fun, family-friendly community block party for people to celebrate their community and culture,” Addison said. "The actions of one person stole that away from them.”