New details are coming to light about the suspect in the tragic incident at Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu festival.
Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, was arrested at the scene on Saturday after a vehicle barrelled through the crowd, killing 11 people.
Speaking on Wednesday morning, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim confirmed that the suspect was under the care of a mental health care team but he was on extended leave at the time.
Sim said this information is “incredibly difficult to hear” and that it points to a failure in the mental health system.
He is now calling on senior levels of government to expand involuntary care.
“The mental health crisis is not just a health crisis,” Sim said.
“It has become a public safety crisis. Cities like Vancouver, we’re stepping up where we can, but make no mistake about it, we can’t do this alone.”
According to Fraser Health, extended leave means the person continues to be certified under the Mental Health Act after being discharged from a designated facility.
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Reasons for the extended leave are not disclosed but may include: “The person needs further treatment but they lack the insight into their need for continued treatment and are unwilling to continue treatment in the community; The person’s mental and physical health may deteriorate (get worse) without the certification but they don’t have to be in a designated facility.
In a case of an extended leave, Fraser Health states that the person is still supported by a community mental health team that monitors their mental health and well-being and provides treatment and support as necessary.
“If the person is not able to follow the care or treatment plan in place, the mental health team has the ability to admit the person back to hospital,” the health authority states.
In a statement on Tuesday, the B.C. Ministry of Health said there was no indication of violence in the suspect’s presentation to his mental health team.
It also said there was no recent change in his condition or non-compliance with his treatment plan that would have warranted involuntary hospitalization.
Sim also said that the city is working with community leaders and event organizers on a public memorial that will take place in approximately two weeks.
He added the city and the Vancouver Police Department have launched a comprehensive internal review of the events surrounding the festival, including permitting, site safety, planning and emergency response.
“In absence of other supports, our current framework identified by Vancouver Coastal Health is that there is a need for 49 full-time mental health positions to partner with VPD to divert mental health calls from police-based responses,” Sim said.
“So far, 38 of the 49 new mental health care workers have been hired. We’ve doubled the capacity of the CAR 87/88 program, which pairs a nurse or pairs nurses with Vancouver Police Department officers to respond to people in crisis.”
The Vancouver police confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that of the 11 victims, seven are women, two are men, one is non-binary and one is a child.
There are 16 people still in hospitals with five in critical condition and one in serious condition, Const. Tania Visintin with the Vancouver Police Department confirmed.
“Others have been discharged or gone to clinics on their own,” she said.
She added that aside from a 22-month-old child in hospital, no other children remain in hospital.
Visintin confirmed that detectives continue to work 24 hours a day on the investigation.
Meanwhile, police have provided limited access to businesses in the area but it is still unknown when the full area will be opened.
No further charges have been laid in the case and Visintin said there is no timeline for when more charges might be laid.
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