A day before the deadly attack in Vancouver’s Filipino street festival, the suspect, Kai-ji Adam Lo, called police claiming someone was throwing things into his SUV. Lo had a history of mental-health issues and had been under treatment while on leave from hospital.
Lo, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, made regular calls to police about his fears and paranoia. He claimed that people were doing things to him and the black SUV he owned. Despite this, his mental-health team did not follow up regularly, according to psychiatrist Dr. Bill MacEwan.
MacEwan said that Lo’s level of paranoia was a red flag that should have been addressed by his treatment team. The psychiatrist stated that even if Lo was on his medication, the degree of paranoia was not something to be ignored.
Lo is facing eight counts of second-degree murder and more charges are anticipated. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has announced plans for a public memorial for the victims and called for a provincial government commission into the vehicle attack to address the mental-health crisis in B.C.
Premier David Eby has declared Friday as a day of mourning and announced that the province will review and modernize the Mental Health Act. He urged people not to assume the mental-health system failed in Lo’s case, urging caution and reserve judgment until more information is known.
Source: https://vancouversun.com/news/day-before-vancouvers-lapu-lapu-tragedy-suspect-told-police-items-were-thrown-into-his-suv