The accused in fatal Filipino festival SUV attack will be getting a two-day hearing to determine if he's fit to stand trial.
Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, was back in court Friday (May 30), following a psychiatric assessment ordered earlier in the month.
Lo appeared remotely via video at Vancouver Provincial Court. He was dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt and looked down through most of the court proceedings.
He had been ordered to have an in-custody psychiatric assessment following a court appearance on May 2.
Judge Reg Harris issued a common-law publication ban at the May 2 appearance. It remains in place, he said, to preserve a fair trial. Harris has allowed media to publicly report on the application of the fitness assessment. However, the basis for the assessment, why it's necessary, where it happened, and the results remain under a publication ban.
The purpose of Friday's court appearance was to determine the status of the fitness assessment after the court determined there were reasonable grounds to believe Lo is unfit to stand trial. The judge, counsel and Crown had all received and reviewed the report prior to Friday's court date.
Lo's lawyer requested that a hearing be held to determine if he is fit to stand trial. Harris granted the scheduling of a two-day hearing. Lo's next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, June 3 at Vancouver provincial court at 9 a.m. to determine the dates for the hearing.
The accused is facing eight counts of second-degree murder in the fatal Lapu Lapu Day festival attack in Vancouver on April 26. Lo is alleged to have driven an SUV through the crowd at the street festival.
Eleven people were killed – seven women, two men, one non-binary person and a five-year-old girl – and at least two dozen more were injured, ranging in age from 22 months old to 60 years old.
