Const. Shaelyn Yang was fatally stabbed Tuesday morning whereas serving to a parks worker verify on a person residing in a tent at Broadview Park.
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As authorities introduced first-degree homicide expenses on Wednesday towards the person accused of killing Burnaby RCMP Const. Shaelyn Yang, the case is elevating questions on how B.C. communities are managing the homelessness disaster.
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Yang was stabbed Tuesday morning as she accompanied a Metropolis of Burnaby parks employee who had been despatched to a tent at Broadview Park off Canada Solution to advise the occupant that they needed to transfer on.
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The Impartial Investigations Workplace, which investigates deaths or severe accidents involving police, stated Yang shot the person earlier than she died. He was taken to hospital, however is anticipated to outlive.
On Wednesday, the B.C. Prosecution Service stated first-degree homicide expenses have been laid towards Jongwon Ham. Court docket information present Ham, 37, can be dealing with an assault cost associated to an incident in Vancouver on March 17. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Monday.
Murder investigators stated Yang was not on the park to serve the warrant, and so they have been unaware if she knew about Ham’s background. She died in hospital about half-hour after she was stabbed.
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Ham has had run-ins with police prior to now. In February 2021, he was charged with assault and wilfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer.
Yang, who volunteered with sufferer providers in Richmond earlier than changing into a Mountie in 2019, was a part of a particular Burnaby RCMP group that takes the lead on homelessness and psychological well being points for the division.
Made up of three officers, the group works with the Fraser Well being assertive group remedy group and “has frequent contact with their purchasers who’re thought-about excessive danger for violence,” stated Burnaby RCMP spokesman Cpl. Mike Kalanj, who’s a former member of the group.
On Wednesday morning, police tape nonetheless surrounded the small orange tent, which had been pitched within the grass together with a sports activities discipline and was surrounded by just a few items of trash and fallen leaves. A brief distance away was a second tent, this one blue and emblazoned with the murder group brand.
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Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley, a retired firefighter, stated it’s common for park workers to affix law enforcement officials to verify on folks. The town works to stop homeless camps from forming by looking for housing for folks, or to “transfer them alongside,” he stated.
Hurley stated camps are recognized to be unsafe, however folks usually have nowhere to go.
“We attempt to transfer tents alongside as rapidly as we will, however this can be a actual situation for each metropolis within the Decrease Mainland, if not Canada,” he stated. “Sadly, many individuals live in our public areas — many greater than we, or senior ranges of presidency, are prepared to confess.”
Hurley, who was acclaimed within the current municipal election as nobody ran towards him, stated town doesn’t have management over well being coverage or the judiciary.
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Yang was well-known to metropolis workers, who stay in shock and “devastated” by her dying, he stated. “It’s really a horrible time for all of us.”
After an RCMP report, town will probably assessment its personal insurance policies to find out if there’s a higher or safer method for metropolis workers to conduct checks and reply to calls. The town will even take its lead from Yang’s household and the RCMP by way of honour and keep in mind the fallen officer.
In an announcement on Twitter, the Society to Finish Homelessness in Burnaby expressed its condolences to Burnaby RCMP.
“This has by no means occurred earlier than inside our homeless inhabitants, as most of our most weak neighbours are peaceable and non-violent,” it stated.
In Ottawa, the Home of Commons held a second of silence to honour Yang, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid tribute. He advised the Home that psychological well being helps should be stepped up so police usually are not the only real suppliers for outreach in lots of conditions.
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B.C. Premier John Horgan known as Yang’s dying a “horrific tragedy.”
“An incident like this can be a stark reminder of the hazards confronted by these working to maintain our communities protected,” he stated on Twitter.
Surrey South MLA Elenore Sturko, a former RCMP officer, stated that at simply 31, Yang had a lot extra to offer. She “paid the final word sacrifice,” she stated.
— with information from David Carrigg, Katie DeRosa, and Canadian Press
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‘Tragic day’: Burnaby RCMP officer killed in stabbing recognized as Const. Shaelyn Yang
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