British Columbia

What we know about the 11 people killed at Vancouver's Lapu-Lapu Day festival

A New Westminster school counsellor and a family of three have been identified as four of the 11 people killed in a vehicle ramming at a Filipino street festival in Vancouver on Saturday. 

A New Westminster, B.C., school counsellor and a family of three are among those who died

Headshot of Kira Salim, identified as victim in Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy.
The New Westminster School Board has identified Kira Salim as one of the 11 people who died after an SUV was driven into a crowd at a Filipino community festival on Saturday evening. (LinkedIn/Kira Salim)

A New Westminster school counsellor and a family of three have been identified as four of the 11 people killed in a vehicle ramming at a Filipino street festival in Vancouver on Saturday. 

Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder and Vancouver police say more charges will likely come when more victims are identified. 

The Ministry of Health said as of Sunday evening, 17 people remained in the hospital, some in critical and serious condition. 

Here's what we know about the victims so far.

The Le family

Richard Le, 47, his wife Linh Hoang, 30, and their daughter Katie Le, 5, were among those who died at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival, according to Richard's brother Toan Le. 

He said the family was notified Richard had died at the scene Sunday morning, while his wife and daughter both passed away shortly after in the hospital. 

Toan said Richard had a 16-year-old son, Andy, who had stayed at home that day. Hoang was Andy's stepmom, Toan said, and had raised him like he was her own.

A family poses for a picture in a car on a sunny day.
Richard Le, left, Andy, second from left, Katie Le, second from right, and Linh Hoang, right, are seen in this image posted to a fundraising website. According to Toan Le, Richard's son Andy was left without his father and stepmother after the crash. (GoFundMe)

"His entire life just changed overnight," he said, adding that the family is trying to stay strong for Andy. 

Toan said Andy has dreams of playing professional badminton and was hoping to do so with the help of his father, who was coaching him. 

Katie, the youngest of those who died in this attack, had just finished pre-school, according to Toan. 

"She was the life of the party. She was always so cheerful, happy. She always wants to play with her cousins," said Toan. 

"We're going to miss her so much." 

A family poses for a picture at a neon-lit beach area.
Richard Le, left, Katie Le, centre, and Linh Hoang, right, are seen in this undated picture. Katie Le is the youngest confirmed victim of the crash to have died. (GoFundMe)

An online fundraiser for Andy has raised over $230,000 at the time of writing. 

"We're just one of many families that are going through this experience. It's senseless violence to innocent people, and as a society, we have to be better." 

Kira Salim

A Monday statement from the New Westminster School Board said Kira Salim was killed at the street party. 

"The loss of our friend and colleague has left us all shocked and heartbroken," read the statement.

"Kira was a valued member of our community whose wisdom and care for our middle and secondary school students had a powerful impact. Their work, and the great spirit they brought to it, changed lives."

A person is pictured in a selfie.
Kira Salim is described by the New Westminster School District as a valued member who made a powerful impact on the school community. (Instagram)

It said Salim was a counsellor at both Fraser River Middle School and New Westminster Secondary. 

"We are a small but mighty community. This is one of the qualities of New Westminster that Kira loved the most," it said.

New West Pride also paid tribute to Salim in a Facebook post, noting they were "a wonderful, exuberant contributor to our local community." 

It described Salim as a volunteer, activist, local educator and mental health worker. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michelle Gomez is a writer and reporter at CBC Vancouver. You can contact her at michelle.gomez@cbc.ca.

With files from The Canadian Press