Police defend Lapu Lapu festival preparations, say they were unaware of any threats beforehand

THE LATEST:

• Vancouver constabulary are defending their preparations for the Lapu Lapu Festival aft an SUV rammed into people at the event in Vancouver Saturday night, sidesplitting 11 and injuring dozens more.

• Police person confirmed a 30-year-old fishy is successful custody, but person not identified him yet arsenic helium has not yet been charged.

• Officials accidental they are not investigating the onslaught arsenic an enactment of terrorism, and the fishy has had erstwhile interactions with constabulary and intelligence wellness workers.

• Organizers of the lawsuit accidental they're receiving enactment from astir the world, and the Filipino assemblage would "show existent resilience" successful the look of the tragedy.

• Read much updates connected CBC's unrecorded page.

Vancouver constabulary are defending the measures they took to hole for a Filipino assemblage festival aft the operator of an SUV rammed into attendees of the lawsuit Saturday, sidesplitting 11 radical and injuring dozens more. 

Police accidental they weren't alert beforehand of circumstantial threats against the Lapu Lapu Day festival, which is named aft an Indigenous absorption combatant successful the Philippines who fought against Spanish colonization successful the 16th century.

According to police, the clang happened connected East 43rd Avenue and Fraser Street conscionable earlier 8 p.m. PT connected Saturday, and is not being investigated arsenic an enactment of terrorism.

A 30-year-old Vancouver antheral has been arrested successful the case, and constabulary accidental the 11 radical killed scope successful property from 5 to 65 years old.

WATCH | Eyewitness describes country of crash: 

At a quality league Sunday morning, interim Vancouver constabulary main Steve Rai called it the "darkest time successful the city's history."

"It is hard to marque consciousness of thing truthful senseless, and I cognize determination are questions astir whether this calamity could person been prevented," Rai said.

In a aboriginal quality league held with Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, Rai defended the constabulary department's preparations for the festival, saying that a hazard appraisal had determined that dedicated officers and dense constabulary vehicles were not necessary.

"Last twelvemonth ... determination was zero interactions with constabulary astatine this festival," Rai told reporters. "It was a family-friendly taste solemnisation involving kids, and we wanted to support that based connected that accusation and that menace assessment. 

"We don't privation to cage everybody up astatine each lawsuit successful the City of Vancouver."

WATCH | Rai calls it 'darkest time successful city's history': 

Sim told the quality league that the fishy successful the lawsuit had a agelong past of intelligence health-related interactions with archetypal responders, and that much had to beryllium done to code the basal causes of intelligence wellness disorders.

Rai repeatedly defended the department's determination not to artifact the roadworthy with barricades. There were nary dense barriers deployed astatine the scene, according to police, arsenic the lawsuit was chiefly held wrong the schoolhouse itself. 

The acting constabulary main added that the clang happened down the tract of the festival astatine John Oliver Secondary School, connected a thoroughfare lined with nutrient trucks, arsenic the festival was winding down.

WATCH | Rai says clang not being investigated arsenic enactment of terrorism: 

Rai said they volition present beryllium moving with the metropolis "to reappraisal each of the circumstances surrounding the readying of this event."

"The strategy had worked up to this constituent — but this volition beryllium a watershed infinitesimal for metropolis operations, police, ambulance, and each stakeholders," helium said during the greeting quality conference.

In effect to questions from reporters, Rai said the clang was not being investigated arsenic an enactment of terrorism, arsenic constabulary bash not judge determination was spiritual oregon governmental ideology down it. The fishy has not yet been identified, arsenic helium hasn't been charged.

Community mourns aft 'unbearable pain'

The Lapu Lapu Day festival was organized by the Filipino B.C. group. On Sunday, seat RJ Aquino said the assemblage was receiving enactment from astir the world.

"It's not mislaid connected america ... that the tone of the festival was astir that resistance, resilience, that courage, that strength," helium told a quality conference.

"And you know, we're going to person to telephone that up in ourselves."

WATCH | Festival organizer says absorption connected providing assemblage support:

Aquino said organizers of the lawsuit would stock details connected however to nonstop monetary enactment to those affected successful owed people — but asked for grieving families' privateness to beryllium respected.

At a supplication vigil packed with radical astatine St. Mary the Virgin South Hill Church astatine Fraser Street and 49th Avenue, conscionable blocks from the tract of the crash, Father Expedito Farinas called the incidental "heartbreaking beyond words."

"We volition enactment each different done this unbearable symptom and proceed to see them successful our prayers," helium told the congregation, astir of whom are of Filipino descent, and those successful attendance.

At the tract of the clang successful Vancouver's Sunset neighbourhood, adjacent arsenic officers continued to stitchery evidence, residents arrived to spot tributes and honour those who died.

"I conscionable consciousness a batch of sorrow and sadness for each the families, it's precise tough," said nonmigratory Paul Xiong, whose household was astatine the festival conscionable hours earlier the tragedy.

"It could person been america successful this situation, too," helium said.

Politicians connection condolences

Condolences person poured successful from crossed the governmental spectrum — including from the leaders of the main national governmental parties.

WATCH | Federal leaders explicit condolences: 

B.C. Premier David Eby was among those who spoke astatine the vigil astatine the church, saying that successful his experience, the Filipino assemblage had lone ever been astir emotion and family.

"We're present today. We each basal unneurotic with the Filipino assemblage today. And I cognize that's really the lawsuit astir the world," helium said.

Eby said the state would enactment with the City of Vancouver and constabulary connected lawsuit information going forward, promising that they would get the resources and accusation they request to guarantee harmless celebrations.

WATCH | Eby reacts to tragedy: 

"This idiosyncratic intentionally drove a conveyance into a assemblage of people," the premier said connected Sunday afternoon. "What we don't cognize is why, and I'm counting connected police, I'm counting connected our justness system, to get the answers that we need."

A 24-hour assistance centre has been acceptable up astatine the adjacent Douglas Park Community Centre to assistance those affected.

Statistics Canada says much than 174,000 people of Filipino descent represent 3.5 per cent of the province's full population, and they're the third-largest taste radical successful B.C. down those of South Asian and Chinese ancestry.