Mother visiting from Philippines was among Vancouver festival victims

Family members and friends of those killed in a vehicle attack at a Vancouver festival are coming forward to tell the stories of their loved ones. A 30-year-old man faces second-degree murder charges over the attack that killed 11 people at the Lapu Lapu Day festival.

Here is what we know about some of the victims:

Maria Victoria Bjarnason

Maria Victoria Bjarnason’s family says 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 on Monday, says relatives back in the Philippines had been looking forward to her return last week.

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

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

The family is now raising funds to send her body back to the Philippines and support her adult sons, Helgi and Thor, and has received more than $109,000 on the GoFundMe platform.

A message on the fundraiser organized by Vicky Bjarnason’s stepson, Kristjan Bjarnason, says Helgi Bjarnason 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, Helgi Bjarnason suffering injuries including a broken leg, the fundraiser says.

The fundraiser says her sons, who live in British Columbia, are suffering an “unimaginable loss” and they “no longer have any parents in their lives.”

Kristjan Bjarnason later said on GoFundMe that his stepbrother was released from hospital over the weekend.

JENIFER DARBELLAY

Jenifer Darbellay, 50, was an artist and mother of two children, ages seven and 15. 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, his wife Glitza Maria Caicedo, and their daughter Glitza Daniela Samper were among 11 people killed at the Filipino festival on April 27. The family immigrated, along with their son, Alejandro, from Colombia to Vancouver in the early 2000s to start a new life.

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

Samper says 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.

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

RICHARD LE, LIN HOANG AND 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 says 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,” he said in an interview.

A statement from Royal Pacific Realty says 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, says “Richard’s legacy of kindness, mentorship, and professional excellence will live on in the many lives he touched.”

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

Toan Le says five-year-old Katie Le “was super energetic.”

“She had a very lovable personality, and she really loved just being around people,” he says.

KIRA SALIM

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

“Their work, and the great spirit they brought to it, changed lives,” the statement says 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 British Columbia says in a statement on Facebook that Salim worked at the school’s front desk in 2023. It says that they were a “much-loved member of our community,” as well as noting their roles as 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.

“Kira was curating a lot of that portion of the activity,” Murillo said, adding Salim also curated for their Day of the Dead – Dia de los Muertos – festival.

Murillo added that 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 May, 6, 2025.

Canadian Press Staff, The Canadian Press