The man accused of driving into festival goers in Vancouver over the weekend killing 11 people had a history of mental health issues after his brother’s murder last year, police have said.

Police identified the suspect as Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, and charged him with eight counts of second-degree murder after a black Audi Q7 SUV was driven into a Filipino heritage festival at around 8pm on Saturday night. The “mass casualty event” at the Lapu Lapu festival near East 43rd Avenue and Fraser Street also injured more than 20 people.

Lo was apprehended by bystanders at the scene, who detained him until police arrived and arrested him. “The charge assessment is ongoing and further charges are anticipated,” the police said.

The vehicle at the scene of the tragic incident in Vancouver (Reuters)

Online footage showed a young man in a black hoodie with his back against a chain-link fence surrounded by bystanders screaming and swearing at him.

“I’m sorry,” the young man, appearing visibly distressed and holding his hand to his head, could be heard saying.

Interim police chief Steve Rai said the person in custody was a lone male who was “known to police in certain circumstances” but it would be “unfair” to make comments on whether he was on bail.

He had “a significant history of interactions with police and healthcare professionals related to mental health”.

“It is hard to make sense of something so senseless,” the interim police chief said, “and I know there are questions about whether this tragedy could have been prevented.”

Mayor Ken Sim also said Lo had a long history of interactions related to mental health with first responders.

Vancouver police investigate the scene of the incident (AP)

Lo did not have previous criminal charges against him, but a troubled family history. His brother was murdered last year, and Lo condemned the “senseless act of violence” when he launched a GoFundMe donation campaign.

His brother was found dead on 28 January 2024 in a home 2km from where the family lived, the Globe and Mail reported. A suspect in the case, Dwight William Kematch, 39, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

Police secure the scene after a car drove into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver (AP)

A few months later, in August, he reportedly again asked for donations, this time for his mother who had attempted suicide and needed hospitalization for a month.

A relative of Lo had contacted a local hospital’s psychiatric ward barely hours before the attack because of his worsening mental health, Vancouver Sun reported.

The incident occurred less than 48 hours before Canada’s federal election on Monday. Police said there was no suggestion at the moment of a connection between the incident and the election.

In the wake of the incident, prime minister Mark Carney canceled a campaign event and two major rallies.

“Last night families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, father, son or a daughter,” the Liberal Party leader said. “Those families are living every family’s nightmare,” Carney said. “And to them and to the many others who were injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver, I would like to offer my deepest condolences.”

A woman places flowers at a memorial after a vehicle drove into a crowd during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver on 27 April 2025 (AP)

Festivalgoers described how they leapt out of the car’s way to save their and their loved ones’ lives.

Carayn Nulada said she pulled her granddaughter and grandson off the street and used her body to shield them from the car. She said her daughter had a narrow escape. “The car hit her arm and she fell down but she got up, looking for us, because she is scared,” Ms Nulada told the Associated Press.

She described children screaming and victims lying on the ground and wedged under vehicles. “I saw people running and my daughter was shaking,” she said.

Ms Nulada was in Vancouver General Hospital’s emergency room on Sunday morning, trying to find news about her brother, who was run down in the attack and suffered multiple broken bones.

Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr issued a statement expressing sympathy with the victims and their families.

“The Philippine consulate general in Vancouver is working with Canadian authorities to ensure that the incident will be thoroughly investigated, and that the victims and their families are supported and consoled,” he said.