Hearing starts to decide the mental fitness of the suspect in Vancouver
car ramming attack
[July 24, 2025]
By JIM MORRIS
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A court in Vancouver opened a hearing
on Wednesday to determine whether a man accused of killing 11 people by
ramming an SUV into a crowd during a Filipino heritage festival in April
was mentally fit to stand trial.
Adam Kai-Ji Lo, 30, was originally charged with eight counts of
second-degree murder in the tragedy that struck the Lapu Lapu Day Street
festival in Vancouver, British Columbia. Dozens of people were also
injured. Police say six of the injured remain in hospital in stable
condition.
Vancouver police laid three additional charges on Tuesday, bringing the
total number of counts to 11.
Investigators had previously ruled out terrorism and said Lo had a
history of mental health issues.
Witnesses at the time described narrowly jumping out of the way of the
speeding vehicle as bodies flew through the air.
Provincial Court Judge Reg Harris has ordered a ban on publicizing any
evidence presented during the hearing.
Lo, who is being held in a forensic psychiatric facility, attended
previous hearings by a video link. He was in the courtroom on Wednesday
but watched the proceedings from behind a plexiglass barrier. At times
he sat with his hands folded in his lap or resting them by his side.
Earlier Wednesday, prosecutor Michaela Donnelly said a decision expected
Friday from the Supreme Court of Canada could affect how lower courts
view the standard of fitness to stand trial.
“The law might be changed overnight,” said Donnelly. “That raises the
question should we even start.”
Harris said that since witnesses were ready to testify, it made sense to
him that the hearing continue.
Isabel Grant, a professor at the Allard School of Law at the University
of British Columbia in Vancouver, said the purpose of the hearing is to
determine if the accused is able to participate in their trial.
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A person places a card at a memorial for victims after a vehicle
drove into a crowd during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver,
Canada, April 27, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP,
File)
“The test in Canada for unfitness is whether (the person) is unable, on
account of mental disorder, to conduct a defense at any stage of the
proceedings,” said Grant.
Key questions, she said, are whether the suspect can understand the
nature of the proceedings, do they understand the consequences of the
proceedings and are they able to communicate with their attorneys.
If the person is found fit, a trial can proceed. A person found unfit to
stand trial would be held at a forensic psychiatric institution where
they would undergo psychiatric treatment “with a view of rendering
(them) fit to stand trial,” Grant said.
A review board would determine if the treatment the suspect received
made them fit to stand trial. The person could also spend the rest of
their life in a psychiatric facility.
“It is quite possible you would have someone found unfit, and then later
fit,” she said.
The hearing continues on Thursday.
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