Members of the Vancouver Police forensics team examine the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd at a festival Saturday evening in Vancouver, on April 27.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
A B.C. Provincial Court judge has ordered a psychiatric assessment for the man accused of ramming his SUV through a busy Vancouver street festival last weekend to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial for murder.
Justice Reginald Harris granted the request for this assessment from Kai-Ji Adam Lo’s lawyer at a hearing in Vancouver on Friday, the day the province designated for mourning the 11 victims killed at last Saturday’s Lapu-Lapu Day street festival.
Mr. Lo was dialled into the proceedings from a video conference room at a Surrey pretrial jail, where he wore a red prison jumpsuit while sitting on a sofa. The in-custody assessment must be done within a month, and Mr. Lo is scheduled to appear in court next on May 30.
The judge also ordered a ban on media outlets publishing any more information from the proceedings to ensure fairness of the judicial process is protected.
Mr. Lo has been in jail since he was detained by bystanders at the scene and then arrested. The next day, he was charged with eight counts of second-degree murder. The Vancouver police have said more charges are forthcoming. On Thursday, police told reporters that 13 people – including a 22-month-old boy – remain in hospital, with four in critical condition and two in serious condition.
The Globe and Mail has reported the 30-year-old had twice been detained and hospitalized under British Columbia’s Mental Health Act in the past two years and was on an extended leave from the hospital under supervision by a health team at the time of the attack. The Globe has also reported that Mr. Lo contacted local police with dozens of unfounded complaints in recent years, including the day before the attack.
Before the hearing Friday, B.C. Premier David Eby said it’s time for the province to give back to its Filipino community on a day of remembrance and mourning for victims and to “take steps to ensure such an atrocity never happens again.”
RJ Aquino with Filipino BC, the group that organized the Lapu-Lapu Day event last Saturday, said the government’s designation of the day of mourning shows the significance of the tragedy in the history of the province and the city. It will be a part of the healing process, he said, but “certainly not the end of it.”
Mr. Aquino said the community is receiving support from around the world, while memorials to those killed and the dozens hurt continue to grow.
He said additional support from the City of Vancouver, as well as the provincial and federal governments, will be needed to counter the impact of the attack.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said the attack represented “one of the darkest days in our city’s history.”
“Filipino Canadians have a well-earned reputation as a giving community. Now, it is our turn to give back. To offer care. To offer solace. To offer hugs and support,” he said.
Earlier this week, Mr. Eby said his Minister of Health will “modernize” the Mental Health Act that passed 30 years ago. The act sets out the rules for how people with mental illness are to be treated when they need to be protected from harming themselves or others.
With a report from The Canadian Press