VANCOUVER: The suspect in a Canadian car-ramming attack that left 11 dead at a Filipino street party acted deliberately and had a history of mental health problems, police said Sunday (Apr 27), warning the toll could rise.
No motive has been confirmed for the Saturday evening attack in the western city of Vancouver, though terrorism was ruled out by police.
The ramming shocked the country a day before a general election dominated by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian products and his threat to annex his northern neighbor, long a key ally and trading partner.
Police chief Steve Rai raised the death toll from nine and said the 30-year-old suspect driving a black Audi SUV had a “significant history” of interaction with police and mental health care professionals.
The Filipino community had gathered in Vancouver’s Sunset on Fraser neighborhood when festivalgoers were hit by the SUV.
The celebration called the Lapu Lapu Festival commemorates a Filipino anti-colonial leader from the 16th century.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a brief address to the nation, teared up as he addressed the tragedy.
“Last night families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son, or a daughter,” he said. “Those families are living every family’s nightmare.”
