Accused in Vancouver Lapu-Lapu Day festival killings grappled with family loss in months before tragedy

Jason Proctor · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 28, 2025 8:20 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

The Vancouver antheral accused of murdering 8 radical by driving a high-end vehicle into a crowded thoroughfare solemnisation connected Saturday nighttime appears to person been grappling for months with the interaction of his brother's alleged execution past year.

A way of societal media posts and online campaigns hint at the struggles Kai-Ji Adam Lo claimed to person endured since his brother died successful what Vancouver constabulary said astatine that clip was the city's archetypal homicide of 2024.

Lo has been charged with sidesplitting 8 of the 11 radical aged 5 to 65 who died aft a achromatic Audi tore into the assemblage arsenic the Lapu-Lapu Day festival drew to a adjacent soon aft 8 p.m. Dozens much were injured.

Vancouver constabulary person said the suspect, who has nary different grounds of transgression charges successful the provincial tribunal database, was the taxable of aggregate intelligence wellness interactions with officers successful the months starring up to the tragedy.

'Our world has abruptly shifted'

Speaking to the CBC connected Monday, Lo's lawyer said helium wasn't successful a presumption to corroborate immoderate of the details astir his client's alleged intelligence wellness problems.

But helium said helium understood Lo's member had been killed past year.

According to constabulary reports astatine the time, 31-year-old Alexander Lo's assemblage was recovered astatine location successful East Vancouver aboriginal connected Jan. 28, 2024. Dwight William Kematch is charged with second-degree execution successful the case, and a B.C. Supreme Court proceedings is presently acceptable to statesman successful October 2026.

An organizer named "Ad Lo" set up a GoFundMe run successful the weeks aft Alexander Lo's death titled, "In loving representation of Alexander Lo, ceremonial costs," raising astir $10,000 to defray the outgo of his burial.

"It pains maine profoundly to enactment these words down, but my member has been taken from america successful a senseless enactment of violence, thing we ne'er saw coming," the station reads.

"Our world has abruptly shifted. Despite our disagreements, the harsh information that he's nary longer with america hits maine with an overwhelming force."

'Immense grief and stress'

According to spot records obtained by CBC, Kai-Ji Adam Lo and his parent share an East Vancouver location a abbreviated region distant from the determination wherever helium would aboriginal beryllium arrested by police.

The brace are besides listed arsenic debtors successful narration to a 2018 Audi Q7 Progressiv.

Last August," Ad Lo" set up a 2nd GoFundMe run with a representation of a pistillate successful a infirmary furniture aimed astatine raising funds to assistance his parent aft helium claimed to person recovered her "unconscious successful her bed." 

He cited the accent she had been nether pursuing his elder brother's decease and fiscal woes, corroborated by a provincial tribunal suit filed against a contractor Lo and his parent allegedly hired to physique a laneway location for $213,000.

"The immense grief and accent she's nether person taken a important toll," the station successful the fundraising run reads.

"I feared I had mislaid the lone household subordinate I person near ... I cannot basal to spot her endure anymore, and there's thing I tin bash to assistance her."

Both online fundraising campaigns associated with "Ad Lo" have been taken offline successful the past 24 hours.

A little tribunal appearance

Questions swirled Monday about the intelligence wellness past constabulary assertion brought Lo onto their radar anterior to his arrest.

A VPD spokesperson confirmed that Lo came into interaction with constabulary successful a neighbouring jurisdiction the time earlier the attack, but said the brushwood wasn't transgression successful quality and didn't necessitate a intelligence wellness intervention.

Meanwhile, Lo remains successful Vancouver constabulary custody pending a adjacent tribunal quality connected May 26.

His lone quality to day came precocious connected Sunday done a virtual nexus that is utilized by the justness strategy to woody with radical charged extracurricular the court's mean moving hours.

Lo sat successful beforehand of a camera successful what appeared to beryllium a achromatic jailhouse compartment with a bluish doorway down him, wearing grey situation sweats, with his hands held successful beforehand of him and his caput tilted somewhat down.

The CBC was the lone media enactment dialled into the proceedings, which are covered by a work ban.

Beyond the Crown and Lo's lawyer, the proceeding was besides attended by 2 provincial authorities communications officials, 1 of whom said helium worked successful "issues management" helping the state respond to "issues that mightiness travel earlier the public."