The man charged with murder in Saturday's deadly vehicle attack on a festival in Vancouver was under the care of a mental health team but was on "extended leave" from a hospital, authorities say. In a statement, health authority Vancouver Coastal Health said there had been no signs that Adam Kai-Ji Lo, 30, was a risk to the public, NBC News reports. "Extended leave is intended to help clients maintain their treatment plans while transitioning back to community for continuing support," VCH said. The care team, VHC said, "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."
"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," VCH said. The attack on a festival celebrating Filipino culture killed 11 people and injured dozens more. Lo had no criminal record, but police had dozens of interactions with him because of his mental health issues, the Vancouver Sun reports. Vancouver Police Sgt. Steve Addison said Tuesday that Lo had contact with a "neighboring" police agency the day before the attack, but it wasn't serious enough to warrant intervention. Someone close to Lo contacted a psychiatric facility about him on the day of the attack, the Sun reports.
"To the care team's knowledge, there was no recent change in his condition or noncompliance with his treatment plan that would've warranted him needing to be hospitalized involuntarily," VCH said.
- Two families lost three members each in the attack. A 16-year-old boy lost his father, stepmother, and 5-year-old sister. Alejandro Samper's sister and parents were also killed, CTV News reports. He says the family moved to Canada more than 20 years ago to escape violence in Colombia. "It just doesn't make any sense," he says. "Canada is supposed to be a safe place."
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