What We Know About the Tragic Loss of 11 Lives at Vancouver’s Lapu-Lapu Day Festival

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A school counselor from New Westminster and a family of three were among the 11 individuals who lost their lives when a vehicle struck pedestrians at a Filipino street festival in Vancouver on Saturday.

Kai-Ji Adam Lo, aged 30, faces eight counts of second-degree murder. The Vancouver police indicate that additional charges may be filed as further victims are identified.

As stated by the Ministry of Health up to Sunday night, 17 individuals were still admitted to the hospital, with several in critical and serious condition.

This is what we currently understand about the victims.

The Le family

Richard Le, aged 47, along with his spouse Linh Hoang, 30, and their child Katie Le, 5, perished during the Lapu-Lapu Day celebration, as reported by Richard’s sibling Toan Le.

He mentioned that the family was informed about Richard passing away at the location on Sunday morning, whereas his wife and daughter also lost their lives soon afterwards in the hospital.

Toan mentioned that Richard has an 16-year-old son named Andy, who remained at home that day. Hoang, as stated by Toan, is Andy’s stepmother and has brought him up as her own child.

"All of sudden, his whole life has transformed," he remarked, mentioning that the family is striving to remain resilient for Andy.

Toan mentioned that Andy harbors aspirations of becoming a professional badminton player and was looking forward to achieving this dream with assistance from his dad, who is coaching him.

The youngest among those who lost their lives in this assault was Katie, who had recently completed pre-school, as mentioned by Toan.

"Toan mentioned, ‘She was the soul of every gathering. She was invariably upbeat and joyful. She always looks forward to playing with her cousins,’ " he stated.

I’m sure we’ll miss her a great deal.

At the time of this writing, an online fundraising campaign for Andy has surpassed $230,000.

We’re merely one of numerous households enduring this ordeal. This random act of violence against unarmed individuals is unjust, and as a community, we must strive for improvement.

Kira Salim

A statement released by the New Westminster School Board on Monday mentioned that Kira Salim was fatally injured during the street party.

"The passing of our friend and coworker has left each one of us stunned and deeply saddened," stated the message.

Kira was an esteemed part of our community, known for their profound wisdom and dedication to nurturing our middle and high school students. The influence of their efforts, coupled with the exceptional enthusiasm they displayed, transformed many lives.

It stated that Salim served as a counselor at both Fraser River Middle School and New Westminster Secondary.

"The community here might be small, yet it packs quite a punch. This is among the top features of New Westminster that Kira cherished greatly," the statement read.

In a Facebook post, New West Pride honored Salim, acknowledging them as "an amazing and lively member of our local community."

It characterized Salim as a volunteer, activist, community educator, and mental health practitioner.