Update: At an April 27 news conference, Vancouver interim police Chief Steve Rai said that 11 people are dead after a Vancouver man drove a black SUV through a large crowd near food trucks on East 43rd Avenue. Rai said that police believe dozens more are injured, some seriously, and there could be more fatalities. The man in custody has a history of interactions with police and health officials related to mental health.
Watch interim Chief Steve Rai’s update (above) on April 27.
Original article below
Vancouver police say a “number of people have died and multiple others are injured after driver drove into a crowd” at a Filipino Canadian block party. It occurred just after 8 p.m. at the second annual Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party near Fraser Street and East 43rd Avenue in an area with many food trucks.
Two hospitals declared “Code Orange”, which is for a mass casualty events. CBC Radio One broadcaster Stephen Quinn has reported that people have been sent to at least four hospitals.
Interim police Chief Steve Rai told reporters that “a lone suspect” was taken into custody by people in the crowd. When police arrived on the scene, they took the 30-year-old man away. According to Rai, “the suspect was known to police in certain circumstances”.
“There is no further danger to the public,” Rai stated.
UPDATE: As of now, we can confirm nine people have died after a man drove through a crowd at last night’s Lapu Lapu Festival. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic incident.
— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) April 27, 2025
The suspect drove a black SUV. Witnesses say that he accelerated through a crowded area travelling east on East 43rd Avenue.
Filipino BC and the Sunset on Fraser Business Association organized the festival. It took place on the grounds of John Oliver Secondary School and in parking lots running several blocks south to East 49th Avenue, just west of Fraser Street. The Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party had two performance stages on the school grounds, which was blocked to traffic.
Rai, a long-time deputy chief, became interim chief after Chief Adam Palmer announced that he would retire at the end of this month. The RCMP has since stated that Palmer will become assistant commissioner for police service models, effective Monday (April 28).
Many politicians, including Premier David Eby and federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, attended the festival, which began at 11 a.m.
Leaders of three federal political parties with B.C. slates have expressed their condolences to loved ones of those killed and injured.
I am devastated to hear about the horrific events at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver earlier this evening.
I offer my deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver. We are all mourning with…
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) April 27, 2025
I am shocked by the horrific news emerging from Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Day Festival tonight.
My thoughts are with the Filipino community and all the victims targeted by this senseless attack. Thank you to the first responders who are at the scene as we wait to hear more.
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) April 27, 2025
I am horrified to learn of an incident at Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Day celebrations that injured and killed innocent people.
As we wait to learn more, our thoughts are with the victims and their families – and Vancouver’s Filipino community, who were coming together today to…
— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) April 27, 2025
Music headliners were Filipino American rappers APL.DE.AP and J. Rey Soul, who perform with the Black Eyed Peas.
The Lapu-Lapu Block Party is named after a national Filipino hero named Lapu-Lapu. The Mactan chieftain’s forces defeated Spanish invaders in 1521, killing explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
The United Way BC’s Kapwa Strong Fund provides immediate assistance, counselling, trauma services, and other critical supports. The United Way BC website allows contributors to designate funds directly to Filipino BC. Donors receive a tax credit.
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