Murder charge laid in killing of Burnaby Mountie
Posted October 19, 2022 12:37 pm.
Last Updated October 19, 2022 6:50 pm.
A first-degree murder charge has been laid in connection with the death of a Burnaby RCMP officer.
The BC Prosecution Service confirms 37-year-old Jongwon Ham has been charged and remanded in custody.
Burnaby RCMP Const. Shaelyn (Tzu-Hsin) Yang was fatally stabbed while responding to assist a bylaw officer with a call about a man in a tent at a local park Tuesday.
Emergency responders were able to get to the officer, but, “despite their best efforts Const. Yang succumbed to her injuries,” BC RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said in an update hours after Yang’s death.
Investigators say the suspect in her death was shot and taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
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Yang started her policing career working as a volunteer part-time with the Richmond RCMP’s Victim Services before becoming an officer in 2019. After joining the Burnaby detachment, she started working with the RCMP’s Police Mental Health and Homeless Outreach Team, according to Chief Superintendent Graham de la Gorgendiere.
“She was compassionate and caring and she brought those skills every day to her job, working with our community’s most vulnerable, including those experiencing homelessness and mental health issues,” said de la Gorgendiere.
The BC Prosecution Service says Ham made a first court appearance on Wednesday.
His next court date is set for Nov. 2
