Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says Vancouver Coastal Health confirmed to him that the suspect in the deadly Lapu Lapu Day attack was under the care of a mental health care team, as well as on an extended leave from the hospital during the time of the attack.
"This is incredibly difficult to hear and even harder to accept because it points to a deeper failure in the mental health system," Sim said Wednesday (April 30) during a media briefing with interim Vancouver Police Department Chief Steve Rai.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the mental-health crisis is not just a health crisis. It has become a public safety crisis."
Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, was charged with eight counts of second-degree murder on Sunday (April 27), the day after the fatal attack. He was arrested at the scene.
An extended leave, according to a statement from Vancouver Coastal Health, means the person is 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 or refuses to follow the care or treatment plan in place, the mental health team has the ability to recall the person back to hospital."
The statement adds that an extended leave is intended to help clients maintain their treatment plans while transitioning back to community for ongoing support, but it also allows people to be readmitted quickly if a cause presents itself.
"In this situation, the care team followed established guidelines for a client on extended leave, and there was no indication this person was not following their treatment plan or presented a public safety risk."
Vancouver police have said Lo had contact with police in a neighbouring jurisdiction on April 25 – the day before the attack. However, Sgt. Steve Addison said the interaction wasn't criminal in nature and mental health intervention wasn't required.
Lo had also had "previous interactions with police and medical professionals related to mental health."
Sim called on the province and the federal government to step up, noting that Vancouver "is doing what we can."
He said the city in 2023 "supported" Vancouver Coastal Health in developing a plan to expand police-health partnerships and launch a new time, and framework identified the need for 49 full-time mental health positions to partner with Vancouver police. Sim said 38 of the 49 workers have been hired.
There has also been a 96-per-cent increase in referrals to community services and a 46-per-cent increase in referrals from housing and shelter partners. Sim added the city will also be expanding its mobile de-escalation team to seven days a week.
"These results show what's possible when we invest in mental health, but they also show what's missing mental health is health care, and health care is a provincial responsibility."
Premier David Eby announced Tuesday the province would be launching an independent safety commission aimed at ensuring safety at future public events. Eby said there is a group of people looking for answers, advice and information for anyone planning a public event this summer.
He also said, following the conclusion of any criminal or court proceedings, that there will more than likely be a public inquiry into the incident.
However, when asked if he would support a public inquiry, Sim said, "First of all, I don't think it matters whether or not I support it or not. The province is going to do what the province does ... and by the way, you know we will support transparency and looking into this."
Sim added the city would ask for any inquiry to include a review of the mental health aspect.
"I think we're really tired of administrivia after this. Sure, let's do these inquiries, but how many more inquiries do we need? How many more reviews do we need? We see a recurring pattern of mental health, people suffering from significant mental health challenges that lead to significant negative incidents. We already know."
The latest on the investigation
Const. Tania Visintin provided the latest daily update on the investigation and the on the identities of the victims. The information, she said, is evolving and police have learned new information about the 11 homicide victims.
Among the murder victims are seven women, two men, one non-binary person and a five-year-old girl.
There are 16 surviving victims in hospital, she said. Five are now listed as being in critical condition and one in serious condition. Visintin added there are others who have been discharged, as well as others who went to hospitals or clinics on their own.
She said police are still working to identify the victim nationalities, and investigators are working with Canada Border Services Agency, Passport Canada and Global Affairs Canada.
Detectives are working 24 hours a day on the investigation, she said, and police are looking for video footage captured from the festival on April 26, between 8 and 8:30 p.m.
"Investigators are requesting first hand video footage, not copies, not duplicates, of footage from social media or online."
At least 43 tips have been called into the department's homicide line at 604-717-2500, and at least 51 submissions have been received through the Vancouver Police Department's video portal at vpd.ca.
