'Relief' after judge finds Lapu Lapu Day massacre suspect fit for trial in B.C.
A judge has ruled that the suspect in a deadly attack at the Lapu Lapu Day Festival in Vancouver is fit to stand trial, in a decision the Filipino community called a “great deal of relief.”
Eleven people were killed when a truck drove into a crowd of people attending the celebration on April 26. Dozens more were injured. Among the victims were a five-year-old girl and her parents.
Adam Kai-Ji Lo, 30, was arrested on April 26 and was initially facing 11 counts of second-degree murder. An additional 31 charges for attempted murder were added after a court appearance on Wednesday, The Canadian Press reported, when the judge made his ruling.
Executive director at Filipino B.C., Kristina Corpin-Moser, spoke to reporters later on Wednesday.
“I think this is the ruling that many in the community were hoping for,” she said, adding that although it was a relief, there were still a lot of unanswered questions.
She said Wednesday’s hearing was just the first step in a long process and that she understands that many are anxious. Filipino B.C. is providing community support for anyone affected, she said.
“We understand that this process just takes time, and it’s likely that the pace will never be … the pace that families and victims want in terms of receiving answers,” she said.
In July, the court heard from two psychiatrists in an effort to determine if Lo is capable, mentally, of standing trial, Global News reported . A person would be considered unfit during the trial if their “mental health declines to the point where they no longer can understand” what’s happening, Jonathan Blair, a lawyer in the community law program at Community Legal Assistance Society told The Tyee . That would result in pausing the trial until the person has recovered.
“In short: as long as a person can understand that they’re on trial, decide if they want to plead guilty or not and communicate that to the court, the trial can proceed,” said Blair.
At the time of the attack, British Columbia’s Health Ministry said Lo was in the care of a Vancouver Coastal Health team.
“I can tell you that the person we have in custody does have a significant history of interactions with police and health-care professionals related to mental health,” said Chief Constable Steve Rai at a news conference in April .
Much of what was said during the hearing in July about Lo’s fitness to stand trial has remained under publication ban. However, a media consortium challenged the ban, which asserts that evidence cannot be published until the ban is lifted or the trial is over, The Canadian Press reported. On Wednesday, the judge said his ruling on the ban would be delayed.
The Filipino community called the deaths of the 11 people an “unimaginable loss.” They ranged in ages from five to 60 years old.
“We grieve deeply alongside the Filipino community and all who are hurting from this tragic act of violence,” said Filipino B.C. in a post on social media one day after the attack.
Months later, after police and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim released a report addressing the incident last week, the tragic events “continue to reverberate,” families are still grieving and some survivors “remain in hospital and rehabilitation.”
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