Three members of a family of Colombian immigrants have been identified among the people killed in a vehicle ramming in Vancouver on Saturday.
Metro Vancouver resident Alejandro Samper says he lost his mother Glitza Maria Caicedo, his father Daniel Samper and his sister Glitza Daniela Samper in the alleged attack.
A 30-year-old man faces eight counts of second-degree murder after 11 people were killed and dozens more were hurt at the Filipino community’s Lapu-Lapu Day festival Saturday night.
It was just as the festival was coming to an end that an SUV plowed through a crowed of people in the area of Fraser Street and East 43rd Avenue.
Samper says he rushed to the scene of the tragedy after receiving a call from his sister’s fiancé about a “terrible accident,” but he wasn’t allowed in by police.
He says he went to Vancouver General Hospital, where his sister passed away early Sunday morning, but he still hasn’t seen his parents’ bodies and he wasn’t able to say goodbye.
Samper says his family was his “whole world,” that his parents “sacrificed” everything to move them to Canada in the early 2000s, in part to escape the violence of their native Colombia.
He says he’s at a loss to understand what happened and why it occurred after hearing about the suspect’s mental health and the lack of security barriers at the event.
Police are expected to provide an update into their investigation at 2:30 p.m. PT Tuesday.
Independent commission
British Columbia Premier David Eby says his government will launch an independent commission into the alleged attack and a public inquiry if the criminal case doesn’t provide answers the public is looking for.
Eby says the commission will have a “quick turnaround” to get full answers for organizers of events and festivals in the province by June.
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He says he wants the public to be able to “gather and celebrate” over the summer without feeling unsafe.
The premier says if it weren’t for the police investigation and upcoming criminal trial, his government would already be calling a public inquiry.
Eby says the number one priority is ensuring justice for the Filipino community, ensuring that the accused man is “held and tried and convicted for these murders.”
The premier says the government is committed to getting all of the answers about how this could have happened.
Police have said more charges are likely against the suspect as their investigation continues.
