Hamilton Filipino community voices safety concerns following Vancouver car attack

As more details surface surrounding the horrific tragedy at a Filipino festival in Vancouver, the community in Hamilton worries about their own safety.

Eleven people were killed and dozens of others injured after a man drove an SUV through a crowd at a local Lapu Lapu street festival in Vancouver Saturday night.

The first victim to be identified from the weekend tragedy is Kira Salim, a valued middle and high school teacher and counsellor.

Also among the dead, a father, mother and five-year-old daughter from one family, leaving behind a 16-year-old boy who decided to not go to the festival.

The youngest person among the 11 killed was a five-year-old, while the oldest person was 65 years old.

Among the injured is an 11-year-old boy, his mother, who has a fractured vertebrae and a punctured lung, and a father and his two-year-old son.

Reports say 32 people were taken to hospital, with seven people in critical condition and three people suffering from serious injuries.

‘Just no remorse, no concern, no regret’

“It was a car – it was a black car that drove right through the street, and plowed through so many people,” said one person who attended a vigil Sunday.

“That’s when the vehicle came in and rammed the crowd,” said Jacob Bureros, another person who attended the vigil.

“He slowed down and then sped up again, and then when he came to a stop, he jumped out of the car and ran, so we chased him down.”

After the tragedy, bystanders held a man they identified as the driver of the SUV.

“Everyone was really angry and he said that he was ‘going through, he was dealing with a lot’ – just no remorse, no concern, no regret,” Bureros said.

Police say 30-year-old Kai-Ji Adam Lo is facing eight counts of second-degree murder, and could face more charges as they identify victims.

“I can also tell you that the person we have in custody does have a significant history of action with police and health-care professionals related to mental health,” said Deputy Chief Const. Steve Rai of Vancouver Police.

Police say Lo is the brother of a man who was murdered in an unrelated killing last January.

Filipino community leaders across Canada are shocked by the tragedy.

“My initial reaction was ‘oh boy, hopefully it’s not going to happen all throughout Canada’, because festivals like that, we even have our own festival here in Hamilton,” said Boomer Villabroza, CEO and president of the Hamilton Filipino Community Centre.

Villabroza says the tragedy could be an isolated incident, but he also said Hamilton’s Filipino community is planning its annual Festival Extravaganza in July, and he wonders if authorities will decide to increase security this year.

“You have to be more alert and careful to prevent something from happening again,” Villabroza said.

“When one falls we all fall, but when [one] rises, we all rise,” said one woman who attended Sunday’s vigil.

WATCH MORE: Tragedy strikes Filipino festival in Vancouver