A man has been charged with the first-degree murder of Burnaby Const. Shaelyn Yang, who was fatally stabbed while attending a tent on Tuesday (Oct. 18).
The B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed the charges have been laid against Jongwon Ham. He made an initial appearance in court Wednesday and is due back on Nov. 2. The charges have not been proven in court.
, first-degree murder charges are always laid when the victim is a police officer, regardless of if it was planned and deliberate.
Court records show Ham, a 37-year-old Burnaby resident, was wanted on assault charges from an incident in Vancouver on March 17. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Monday, but Integrated Homicide Investigation Team media relations officer Timothy Pierotti said Yang was not enforcing the warrant when she was stabbed on Tuesday.
Yang, 31, was called to the site of a single tent, located in a grassy area between the Burnaby School District office and Broadview Park, around 11 a.m.. She was assisting a city parks employee in informing the tentB次元官网网址檚 occupant that he wasnB次元官网网址檛 allowed to pitch it there, according to Pierotti. He said these kinds of calls were normal for Yang, as she was part of the mental health and homelessness outreach team.
On Tuesday though, an altercation broke out between Yang and the man living in the tent.
Yang was stabbed and taken to hospital where she later died. IHIT investigators estimated it was only about 30 minutes between Yang attending the tent and being pronounced dead.
The suspect, who was shot, was also taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Police say they cannot comment on the extent of the suspectB次元官网网址檚 injuries but that they are receiving medical attention. Police also wonB次元官网网址檛 say if they have been arrested or charged.
B次元官网网址� Jane Skrypnek (@janeskrypnek)
Zulekha Karim, a resident living across the street from Broadview Park, said she wasnB次元官网网址檛 home when the stabbing occurred, but that she heard from neighbours that there had been at least two gunshots.
B次元官网网址淚t was scary.B次元官网网址�
She said she walks through the area next to Broadview Park on the way to her mosque, and that she first noticed an small orangey-yellow tent there a few weeks ago. Karim never saw anyone coming in and out of the tent though, and she said she never saw city staff or police there either.
She said the tent is the first she has seen in that specific area, but that she has heard from other neighbours that there are more tents within Broadview Park as well. In the 13 years she has lived there, Karim said she has never felt unsafe in her neighbourhood.
Speaking Tuesday, Burnaby Chief Superintendent Graham De La Gorgendiere described Yang as a kind and compassionate person.
B次元官网网址淪he was a loving wife, sister and daughter,B次元官网网址� he said, teary-eyed. B次元官网网址淚 can tell you that an on-duty death is the most difficult and heart wrenching incident that we have to deal with as an organization.B次元官网网址�
Yang was with the Burnaby detachment for three years.
Speaking separately, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said Yang B次元官网网址渟acrificed her life in the course of duty,B次元官网网址� but he had no other details about her death.
A visibly shaken Farnworth said it is B次元官网网址渁bsolutely a tragic and horrific situation.B次元官网网址�
He expressed sincere condolences to all police officers in B.C. on behalf of members of the legislature.
B次元官网网址淓very day we ask thousands of men and women in uniform in this province to go out and do their duty, keeping our communities safe, keeping the public safe, knowing full well itB次元官网网址檚 an extremely dangerous job.B次元官网网址�
Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley said in a statement that the city is devastated to hear of the death of Yang.
B次元官网网址淥ur thoughts are with her family, friends, fellow RCMP members and civilian staff during this terrible time. I know our city staff and the community will also feel this deeply B次元官网网址� please seek support if needed. We will continue to work closely with the RCMP to provide all the support we can.B次元官网网址�
The Metro Vancouver Transit Police Department tweeted B次元官网网址渙utrage builds as our hearts break.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淥ur officers worked closely with her and she will be deeply missed,B次元官网网址� the statement said.
Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said he was devastated by the news of the loss of the officer in the line of duty.
B次元官网网址淎t this difficult time, my heart goes out to the family and friends of the deceased officer and to the entire Burnaby RCMP detachment,B次元官网网址� he said in a tweet.
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. has confirmed it has been deployed to look into the incident. The office investigates any incidents linked to police in B.C. involving serious harm or death.
READ ALSO:
READ ALSO:
Like us on and follow us on .
