Security was heavy July 23 for the first in-person court appearance of the man accused of killing 11 people after a car drove into a Vancouver crowd at a Filipino festival in April.
Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, is now charged with 11 counts of second-degree murder. He was initially charged with eight counts on April 27, the day after the deadly attack.
VPD announced the three additional charges on Tuesday, and said they were approved by the BC Prosecution Service “following a review of evidence submitted by Vancouver police homicide investigators.”
Lo sat quietly in the glass-enclosed prisoner dock on Wednesday morning. There were five sheriffs in the almost-full courtroom.
Vancouver Provincial Court Judge Reginald Harris is presiding over a two-day hearing to determine if Lo is fit to stand trial. When he entered the courtroom, clad in dark blue prison sweats, Lo waved at his lawyer and a woman in the public gallery.
His movements were sluggish and slow. At times, he was motionless, hands folded in his lap. Occasionally, he scratched his face or knee.
Multiple police officers were outside the Vancouver Provincial Court building and entry gate searches were rigorous.
Hundreds of people were celebrating the Lapu Lapu Day festival on April 26 when a man drove a black Audi SUV into a crowd on East 43rd Avenue near Fraser Street.
Back in May, Lo appeared before Harris following a 30-day assessment. He remains in custody at B.C.’s Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam.
Harris set a fitness hearing for July 23-24. The information heard in the hearing is subject to a publication ban.
Vancouver Coastal Health has said at the time of the attack the suspect was under the supervision of a health-care team, compliant with treatment and on “extended leave” in accordance with the Mental Health Act.
“In this situation, the care team followed established guidelines for a client on extended leave, and there was no indication this person was not following their treatment plan or presented a public safety risk,” VCH said.
“Extended leave is intended to help clients maintain their treatment plans while transitioning back to the community for ongoing support. Extended leave allows people to be readmitted quickly if cause presents itself," said the health authority.
‘Still a long way from justice’
Some of the injured remain in hospital, according to the chair of Filipino BC.
“It’s a handful, more than a couple of people,” RJ Aquino told Lodestar Media Tuesday, the day before Lo was due in court. “I know they’re focused on their recovery.”
Some people, he said, are in rehabilitation centres surrounded by their family.
“We want to be providing whatever help that we can,” said Aquino.
“It's important for us to really understand and appreciate that there is a process to be had here,” said Aquino. "Sometimes frustration or impatience can set in, and that's OK. I know that grief and anger and kind of everything in between will continue to come in waves for the community.”
Aquino said a lot of people were waiting for the additional charges to be laid.
“We’ve been paying close attention to the community and we’ve been preparing for this for weeks,” he said, adding "we're still a long way from justice."
“A lot of people want to see this go to trial and want to see justice for their loved one and community members, but there are still days of hearings ahead.”
Work is being done within the Filipino community to make sure people are not alone and supported during this time.
"It's only been three months and … the community still has to go through a lot of processing and understanding what's going on,” Aquino said.
Filipino BC is working to set up a support centre for anyone to drop in on Friday and Saturday. Aquino said there will be debrief and disaster psychosocial support workers on site.
“There are a lot of emotions around this,” he said. “[We are] hearing everything from grief to anger … it’s difficult to process three months later.”
Aquino said he hopes through this process they will discover what resilience means.
“Being present for each other, and identifying all the gaps that would lead to situations like this so that they don't happen again.”
With files from Mike Howell
