Remembering the 11 who lost their lives in Lapu Lapu attack, one year ago

Sico, 27, was described as “kind-hearted with a beautiful soul” in a fundraising page organized by her sister, Maydhel Sico, on the GoFundMe platform.

It said Jendhel Sico “lived her life to the fullest” and always had a smile on her face, bringing positivity to everyone she met.

Sico’s cousin, AJ Sico, was gravely injured in the attack.

NERISSA PAGKANLUNGAN

Pagkanlungan, 46, was a loving wife and devoted sister who was cherished by many, according to a fundraising page.

Pagkanlungan also went by the nickname Rizza. “To know Rizza was to truly love her. She was the sweetest soul, kind-hearted, humble, and hardworking person,” the fundraising page said.

It said she immigrated from the Philippines to Winnipeg with her husband in search of a better life before moving to Vancouver to be closer to family.

MARIA VICTORIA BJARNASON

Bjarnason’s family said she was visiting from the Philippines to see her sons when she was killed at the Lapu Lapu Day festival.

Rhona Doria, a member of Bjarnason’s extended family who spoke on behalf of them at a memorial mass last year, said relatives back in the Philippines had been looking forward to her return when they heard the news.

“They’re so lost and they’re grieving,” Doria said in an interview at the time.

Doria said Bjarnason, 55, known as Vicky, was “the life of the party. She’s very bubbly. She’s a happy person.”

Bjarnason’s stepson, Kristjan Bjarnason, said Vicky’s son Helgi was holding his mother’s hand and tried to pull her out of the path of the SUV that drove through the festival crowd.

But both were struck by the vehicle, and Helgi Bjarnason suffered injuries including a broken leg, an online fundraiser said. It said her children, who live in British Columbia, were suffering an “unimaginable loss” and they “no longer have any parents in their lives.”

JENIFER DARBELLAY

Darbellay, 50, was an artist and mother of two children, aged seven and 15 at the time of the attack. Her husband, Noel Johansen, described Darbellay as selfless, creative and empathetic.

Johansen said he was in search of dessert at the festival when the SUV drove through the crowd. He likened the crash to a “tidal wave.”

“It hit us before we knew. I was falling in slow motion trying to save my head from smashing in the pavement,” Johansen said.

Darbellay was killed, while the rest of the family survived.

Johansen said that the day before, the couple was talking about politics and situations in which people seek revenge toward the person who hurt them. He said she told him, “We need to forgive the perpetrators of the crimes that are committed against us.”

Johansen said he’s now trying to honour that philosophy.

DANIEL SAMPER, GLITZA MARIA CAICEDO AND THEIR DAUGHTER GLITZA DANIELA SAMPER

Daniel Samper, 65, his wife Glitza Maria Caicedo, 60, and their daughter Glitza Daniela Samper, 30, had immigrated along with their son, Alejandro, from Colombia to Vancouver in the early 2000s to start a new life.

Alejandro Samper said his family was his whole world, and his parents sacrificed everything to move them to Canada, in part to escape violence in their native Colombia.

Samper said his parents were the “nicest people” who helped many others, and the family was “very, very close.”

Paola Murillo, executive director of community group Latincouver, a group that helps Latin Americans make B.C. their home, is also from Colombia and said there were few Colombians living in Vancouver when Glitza Maria Caicedo — known as Bachita — volunteered with the group in 2013 and 2015.

“She was always with that huge smile and giving, always coming to the festival even if they were not volunteers,” Murillo said last year.

“If I think about Glitza when I saw her, she always had this beautiful big smile, caring about animals, caring about people.”

RICHARD LE, LINH HOANG AND THEIR DAUGHTER KATIE LE

Richard Le, 47, was a Realtor who had been attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival with his wife and daughter.

Toan Le said his older brother was always there when he needed help. “I remember when I was a kid, I was bullied, and he stepped in, and he ended up getting beat up,” Le said in an interview last year.

A statement from Royal Pacific Realty at the time said Richard Le had been with the company for more than 15 years, and he was also a “passionate badminton and tennis coach” who spent countless hours mentoring young people.

David Choi, president of Royal Pacific Realty, said “Richard’s legacy of kindness, mentorship, and professional excellence will live on in the many lives he touched.”

Toan Le said Linh Hoang, 30, was a lovely person and “a dedicated mother” to Katie and 16-year-old stepson Andy, who did not attend the festival and instead stayed home to finish his homework.

Five-year-old Katie Le “was super energetic,” Le said. “She had a very lovable personality, and she really loved just being around people.’

Andy Le said in a video last year that he was donating half of the more than $500,000 that was raised in his family’s name after the attack, saying he “knows that other families are hurting too.”

KIRA SALIM

Kira Salim, 34, was a teacher-counsellor at Fraser River Middle School and New Westminster Secondary School. A statement from the superintendent of the school district said Salim’s wisdom and care for students had a powerful impact.

“Their work, and the great spirit they brought to it, changed lives,” last year’s statement said of Salim.

LGBTQ+ advocacy group New West Pride posted a tribute, saying Salim was “an epic drag king, a wonderful exuberant contributor to our local community, volunteer, activist, local educator, mental-health worker.”

The School of Music at the University of B.C. said in a statement on Facebook that Salim worked at the school’s front desk in 2023. They were a “much-loved member of our community,” the post said, noting their roles as an activist and educator.

Murillo said Salim, originally from Brazil, volunteered with Latincouver for the 2022 Latin American Heritage Month celebration and was in charge of the art section.

Murillo said Salim’s death along with the Samper family has shaken Vancouver’s Latin American community to the core.

“For us, it was one of those moments that we said, ‘Why?’ (They were) somebody who has this open heart to help, to give.”

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2026.

Canadian Press Staff, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Remembering the 11 who lost their lives in Lapu Lapu attack, one year ago

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