Lapu Lapu festival fatality identified as local Vancouver woman, Rizza Azzir as Canada police say crash was mental health related amid speculation how and why the Filipino community came to be targeted by un-identified 30 year old Audi SUV driver.
Social media has identified one of the 11 fatalities at the hands of a 30 year old Vancouver man who plowed his black Audi SUV vehicle into revelers at the Lapu Lapu Festival, Saturday night as local Vancouver woman, Rizza Azzir.
The identification comes as the Vancouver Police Department adamantly maintains the ‘incident’ was not terrorist related but related to ‘mental health issues.’
Police to date revealed the victims ranging in age from five years old to 65 along with countless others wounded.
Kai-Ji Adam Lo Vancouver man w/ mental health issues charged with murder
Rizza Azzir id as Vancouver festival fatality
Posted Marby John Aguilar Gutierrez on Facebook, ‘Our hearts mourn with all the victims of the Vancouver tragedy, especially Konflick’s Rome Pagkanlungan wife Rizza Azzir. You are not alone — we are with you.’
The attack took place at approximately 20:14 local time on Saturday at an event marking Lapu Lapu Day, which is celebrated every year on 27 April amongst the Filipino community.
Lapu Lapu Day was officially recognised by the government of British Columbia in 2023. Filipinos form one of the largest immigrant groups in the province.
Police said tens of thousands of people had been in attendance during the course of the festival and the attack happening as the event was winding down after roads were opened up for food pantry trucks to leave the area.
Festival-goers said a single vehicle, a black Audi SUV was involved in the attack, which took place on East 43rd Avenue and Fraser in the south of Vancouver.
Witnesses later reported that the vehicle struck pedestrians at the event, at least some of whom were in an area that was being used by food trucks.
The driver of the vehicle who drove into the crowd at Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver. Asian male and possibly mentally challenged
#Canada #Vancouver #Ontario #Toronto #onpoli #canpoli #USA #BreakingNews #terror #Montreal #Quebec #Alberta #Calgary
— Open Mic X (@OpenMicX) April 27, 2025
Suspect who drove into crowd at Lapu Lapu Festival identified as 30-year-old Vancouver man. A man driving a black Audi SUV drove into a large crowd attending the Lapu Lapu Day Festival near East 43rd Avenue and Fraser Street. #Canada Driver arrested.https://t.co/CZKAfOYeC2 pic.twitter.com/FreItY5q4V
— News Channel3 Now (@newschannel3now) April 27, 2025
History of mental health episodes known to Vancouver police
The driver of the vehicle was apprehended by bystanders, and then taken into custody by police officers.
At the time of his apprehension, video captured the un-identified 30 year old trying to shield his face as he stood with his back against a chain-link fence, alongside a security guard and surrounded by bystanders screaming and swearing at him.
Why did you do it,’ attendees demanded, before the suspect responding, ‘I am sorry.’
‘It is the darkest day in Vancouver’s history,’ Police Interim Chief Steve Rai told a news conference in the aftermath.
‘The person we have in custody does have a significant history of interactions with police and mental health care professionals related to mental health,’ he said.
Rai stressed that the Lapu Lapu festival attack was not domestic related and more information would be revealed during a Sunday morning press conference (local time).
No further details were provided on the previous interactions for police, what they entailed or when they took place.
Rai said only that there had not been any interaction with officers in the ‘immediate’ lead-up to the attack, the BBC reported.
Video of the aftermath shows the dead and injured along a narrow street in South Vancouver lined by food trucks. The front of the driver’s SUV is smashed in.
Kris Pangilinan, who brought his pop-up clothing and lifestyle booth to the festival, saw the vehicle enter past the barricade slowly before the driver slammed on the gas in an area that was packed with people after a concert. He said hearing the sounds of bodies hitting the vehicle will never leave his mind.
“He slammed on the gas, barreled through the crowd. And all I can remember is seeing bodies flying up in the air higher than the food trucks themselves and landing on the ground and people yelling and screaming. It looked like a bowling ball hitting bowling pins and all the pins are flying into the air.”
Pangilinan said that it would be hard to believe “that someone has some malice against the Filipino people.”
The attack has deeply affected Vancouver’s tight-knit Filipino community.
RJ Aquino, the head of the Filipino BC organisation, said that “last night was extremely difficult and the community will feel this for a long time.”
“We know that there’s a lot of questions floating about and we don’t have all the answers, but we want to tell everybody that we’re grieving,” he added
