Members of Vancouver’s Filipino community gathered at St. Mary’s Parish on Sunday to pray and support one another following the deaths of at least 11 people when a man with a history of mental health issues rammed an SUV through a crowd at a Filipino community festival

New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh visited the church, meeting with locals sitting outside and offering his support.

"I was in complete utter disbelief," said Theresa, a local Filipina. "It’s the kind of stuff that does not happen here... something like this, you would hear news coming from the States."

Despite the shock, the community remains resilient. Petra, another resident of Vancouver said she is “still hopeful there won’t be any more tragic events” and that Filipino traditions and gatherings will continue.

“We are peaceful here,” she said.

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Boni Bracia, a local standing outside the church, said he was heartbroken.

"Filipinos are fun-loving people," he said. "Seeing this kind of thing is unbelievable and hard."

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The attack on Saturday evening took place two days before Canada's federal election on Monday.

The incident occurred shortly after 8 p.m. (0300 GMT) in Vancouver's Sunset neighborhood, an area known for its large Asian population, where the Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party was taking place, celebrating a Filipino national hero.

(Production by: Maria Alejandra Cardona)