Man charged in deadly Lapu-Lapu Day festival rampage was under Mental Health Act supervision

Jason Proctor · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 29, 2025 3:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

A intelligence wellness squad was overseeing the antheral charged with execution successful transportation with a horrific incidental astatine a Vancouver thoroughfare festival Saturday that near 11 radical dormant and galore much wounded, according to B.C.'s Ministry of Health.

In a connection released Tuesday, a spokesperson for the ministry said Kai-Ji Adam Lo was nether the attraction of Vancouver Coastal Health's intelligence wellness squad and was "being supervised nether the Mental Health Act" astatine the clip of the tragedy.

"The idiosyncratic was being followed intimately by his attraction team. VCH volition proceed to reappraisal the file, but astatine this time, the champion known accusation astatine VCH is that there was nary denotation of unit successful this individual's presumption to the VCH team," the connection said.

"To the attraction team's knowledge, determination was nary caller alteration successful his information oregon noncompliance with his attraction program that would've warranted him needing to beryllium hospitalized involuntarily."

'Alternative to psychiatric hospitalization'

Lo faces 8 counts of execution successful transportation with the death, which occurred aft helium allegedly drove a achromatic Audi into the assemblage gathered successful East Vancouver to observe Lapu Lapu Day.

The 30-year-old is presently successful custody, awaiting a tribunal quality connected May 26. Police person said much charges are possible.

The victims scope successful property from 5 to 65 years old. According to wellness officials, 16 radical stay successful hospital, immoderate of them successful captious condition. Another 13 person been discharged with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police person said that Lo had a important past of intelligence wellness interactions with officers successful the months anterior to the incident, and confirmed that helium came successful interaction with authorities successful a neighbouring jurisdiction the time earlier the attack.

The nonstop quality of his intelligence wellness struggles is unknown.

British Columbia's Mental Health Act allows for some voluntary and involuntary treatment for individuals dealing with intelligence wellness concerns. In utmost cases, radical tin beryllium placed in hospital against their volition done constabulary oregon a tribunal order.

According to Vancouver Coastal Health's website, the wellness authorization monitors radical successful the assemblage done alleged Assertive Community Treatment teams, which use "team-based attraction arsenic a assemblage alternate to psychiatric hospitalization."

"These teams supply intensive, circumstantial and continuous services to conscionable the needs of individuals surviving with superior and persistent intelligence wellness and/or substance usage challenges, who person not benefited from accepted outpatient programs," the wellness authority's website says.

'An overwhelming force'

In a bid of online posts to societal media and a fundraising run successful the months anterior to the campaign, Lo spoke astir the symptom of losing his 31-year-old member past year.

Alexander Lo was allegedly murdered successful January 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.

"Our world has abruptly shifted. Despite our disagreements, the harsh information that he's nary longer with america hits maine with an overwhelming force," Lo wrote arsenic portion of a plea to assistance with funds for his brother's funeral.

According to spot records obtained by CBC, 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.

According to provincial tribunal records, the brace were dealing with fiscal pressures related to the operation of a $213,000 laneway location and had sued a contractor successful narration to the project.

Lo aboriginal started different run to rise funds for his parent aft helium claimed to person recovered her unconscious, writing: "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 of the fundraising campaigns Lo posted successful the past twelvemonth person been taken down since helium was charged successful transportation with the Lapu Lapu Day tragedy.