British actor in tears as wife killed and young child injured in Vancouver attack
A British actor has bravely spoken out following the death of his wife when a car rammed into a crowd of festivalgoers. Noel Johansen fought back tears as she spoke of his costume designer wife Jenifer Darbellay, 50, at a vigil in Vancouver, Canada.
An Audi SUV drove into crowds gathered at a festival to honour Filipino heritage. Eleven people were killed and dozens injured.
The horror unfolded at the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday evening, near East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street.
Noel, who has starred in Psych, Supernatural, Fargo and The Good Doctor, was also injured, along with his seven-year-old daughter Darby. His son Ford, 15, also attended the festival.
He was on crutches as he attended the vigil on Monday. "What you see here is an injury that means nothing to me because what's inside my heart is broken," he told the crowd.
"Because my wife passed away behind me at the incident. She never celebrated herself in her life. She never thought of herself; she thought of herself as small in terms of the reach.
"And I can tell you she was larger than life for any of you who know her. So don't be small in life, be big, reach out and reach out as a human being with everything you have, and please remember us who went through this."
Noel is best known for his work in Hallmark movies including Garage Sale Mystery: All That Glitters, When Calls the Heart, Chesapeake Shores, Harvest Love, Reunited at Christmas and Roux the Day: A Gourmet Detective Mystery.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by his friend and business partner to help provide support to the family. Michael Daingerfield said: "I am literally in shock as I write this - but I want to do something for Noel and his two children Ford, 15, and Darby, 7.
"This is an incredibly difficult time for Noel, and moving forward with his life is going to feel insurmountable.
"Jen was a one-of-a-kind. She was an incredibly thoughtful, warm, caring, smart, stylish, artistic woman. A gifted painter, a selfless mother, and a loving wife. She gave the best hugs, was always there to listen without judgement, and had the sweetest voice.
"She was not only special to me and my family (wife and kids), but she was special to many other friends and people - giving of herself volunteering on the PAC committee at Sir Alexander Mackenzie, Darby's school."
The victims included nine females and two males, with ages ranging from five to 65. Up to 100,000 revellers were celebrating the Lapu-Lapu festival when the attack occurred.
A 30-year-old man was arrested and the case is not being treated as terrorism. Seven victims were also taken to hospital in a critical condition while three were in a serious condition.
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