25.98°C Vancouver 25.98°C Vancouver
Jul 23, 2025 4:59 PM - The Canadian Press
The man accused of ramming an SUV into a crowd and killing 11 people at the Vancouver Lapu Lapu Day festival is set to appear in court today, with a judge determining if he's fit to stand trial.
RJ Aquino, the chair of festival organizer Filipino BC, says the court proceedings could prove "traumatizing" for victims and members of the Filipino community.
He says many have expressed anger and frustration since the April 26 attack and still find it difficult to cope with the tragedy almost three months later.
Thirty-year-old Adam Kai-Ji Lo faces 11 charges of second-degree murder, after police announced on Tuesday that three additional charges had been approved.
Lo is set to appear at Vancouver provincial court for a two-day fitness hearing where a judge will determine his mental fitness for a trial that could be months away.
A media consortium that includes The Canadian Press plans today to challenge a publication ban on the fitness hearing that is being sought by the Crown.
Under the proposed ban, evidence arising at the fitness hearing would not be publishable until the ban is lifted or after the end of a criminal trial.
However, it proposes that the outcome of the fitness hearing may be reported, as well as the outcome of the application for the publication ban.
Aquino says community members of the Filipino community will be watching the hearing closely.
He says many people want "speedy closure," but justice takes time.
Aquino says Filipino BC will prepare for all possible outcomes, and support for victims' families and community members will continue.
"We want to make sure that we're providing the support that the community needs, we're able to continue to be present with each other as we inevitably revisit what had happened through these proceedings."
Dozens of people were injured in the attack in East Vancouver, in which a black SUV sped through a street crowded with festivalgoers. Police said in June that seven victims remained in hospital.
