Lapu-Lapu Attack Suspect Charged With 3 Additional Counts of Murder

Members of the Vancouver Police forensics team examine the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd at a Lapu Lapu Day street festival in Vancouver, on April 27, 2025. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

The man accused of deliberately driving an SUV into a packed Filipino festival in Vancouver this spring is now facing three new murder charges.

The BC Prosecution Service has approved three more counts of second-degree murder against Kai-Ji Lo, the alleged driver of the vehicle used in the deadly attack at the Lapu Lapu Festival on April 26, the Vancouver Police Department said in a press release.

Lo was originally charged with eight counts of second-degree murder on April 27 but will now face 11—one count for each person who was killed during the street festival, police said in the July 22 release.

The additional charges against 30-year-old Lo were approved by prosecutors following a review of evidence submitted by homicide investigators, police said.

Lo remains in custody and is scheduled to participate in a two-day hearing to determine his mental fitness to stand trial this week.

Police have said Lo had numerous interactions and “substantive contact” with police and health workers over mental health issues prior to the festival tragedy.

The deadly but non-targeted car ramming attack occurred at 8:14 p.m. local time on April 26 at the intersection of Fraser Street and East 41st Avenue as the festival, which was attended by tens of thousands of people, was wrapping up.

Eyewitnesses attending the festival said victims were sent flying into the air as a black Audi SUV sped through the crowd. The SUV was later seen with its hood crumpled leaving the engine underneath exposed.

Video recordings circulated on social media on the day of the incident showed bodies and debris strewn along the roadway at the festival.

Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai said a suspect was arrested at the scene after initially being apprehended by bystanders.

The victims who lost their lives in the attack range in age from 5 to 65, police have said. An additional 32 people were also injured during the attack, 17 of them seriously.

Among the 11 people killed were teacher-counsellor Kira Salim, artist Jenifer Darbellay, and two families of three—Realtor Richard Le, Lin Hoang, and their five-year-old daughter Katie Le; and Colombian immigrants Daniel Samper, his wife Glitza Maria Caicedo, and their adult daughter Glitza Daniela Samper.

Also killed were Jendhel May Sico, Rizza Pagkanlungan, and Maria Victoria Bjarnason, who was visiting from the Philippines and attended the festival with her son.

Security Assessments

The attack, which shocked the nation, also prompted an assessment of event security in the city.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has said proper safety processes were followed for the festival, but that security measures for community events have been increased since the tragedy, and have since included the use of additional heavy vehicles and barriers.

Sim noted that one of the urgent challenges for cities and towns to address is the growing threat of vehicles being used to cause harm.

”It’s a very deeply unsettling reality,” he said. “It’s forcing cities around the world to rethink what safety looks like in our streets, at our events, and in the public spaces that we all share.”

The final report from the city and police will be released by Aug. 27.

Former Chief Justice of the B.C. Supreme Court Christopher Hinkson has presented a report to the province after Premier David Eby commissioned an inquiry into safety at community events.

Attorney General Niki Sharma has said the recommendations will be made public after review by cabinet.

Chandra Philip and The Canadian Press contributed to the article.