1st-degree murder charge approved in slaying of Burnaby RCMP officer

Burnaby, B.C. -

One day after an RCMP officer was stabbed to death on duty in Burnaby, B.C., a suspect has been charged with first-degree murder.

The accused, Jongwon Ham, made a court appearance Wednesday and was remanded in custody, the B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed in an email to CTV News.

Const. Shaelyn Yang, who worked in the Burnaby RCMP detachment's mental health and homeless outreach team, died Tuesday following an altercation at Broadview Park. A suspect was also shot.

The area remained behind police tape Wednesday morning, with more than a dozen RCMP cruisers guarding the area.

There are two simultaneous investigations underway. The first is being conducted by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, which has taken the lead on Yang’s shocking and sudden death.

Meanwhile, the province's police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, is looking into the shooting of the suspect.

The IIO confirmed Wednesday the altercation was between Yang and a man who was living in a tent on the athletic field next to the Burnaby School District office.

“That interaction led to injuries being suffered by the officer, stab wounds, which unfortunately led to her death, and the individual was shot as well and we understand is recovering from those injuries,” said Ron MacDonald, chief civilian director of the Independent Investigations Office.

MacDonald says the IIO has been able to obtain surveillance video of the altercation in its entirety from a nearby building.

“As a result of that, we may be able to conclude our part of this investigation quite quickly,” he told CTV News.

The IIO says it believes Yang discharged the gun that the suspect was shot with, but was unable to confirm if that happened before or after she was stabbed or how many shots were fired.

“I don't want to go into details for two reasons. We still do have to complete our investigation, plus the RCMP have an investigation to do with respect to the individual. It's important, therefore, not to potentially taint either of those investigations or any potential prosecution,” said MacDonald

The IIO is responsible for conducting investigations into incidents of death or serious harm that may have been the result of the actions or inactions of a police officer, whether on or off duty.

“The law says obviously, that if a person is faced with a lethal threat, that they're entitled to use lethal force in response, and that, obviously, is the test that's applied in cases such as this, with respect to the actions of the subject officer,” said MacDonald.

KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY

Police are calling Yang’s death senseless and tragic.

“She was a loving wife, a sister, and a daughter. Those she worked with before joining the RCMP and her police colleagues describe Const. Yang as a kind and compassionate person which makes her death even more difficult to accept,” said Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, the commanding officer of BC RCMP.

Yang had just under three years of service and was a highly regarded member of the mental health and homeless outreach team.

“She was compassionate and caring and she brought those skills every day to her job working with our communities most vulnerable, including those experiencing homelessness and mental health issues,” said Chief Supt. Graham De La Gorgendiere, detachment commander for Burnaby RCMP.

The violence unfolded near Canada Way and Curle Avenue around 11 a.m. Tuesday morning. Investigators say Yang and a city parks employee responded to a complaint about a man camping in a tent near Broadview Park.

Police say the constable and the suspect got into an altercation, which ended with her being stabbed and him being shot. The city employee was not hurt.

Both Yang and the suspect were rushed to hospital with what were described as critical injuries. Dozens of officers from multiple agencies rushed to the scene.

“I can also tell you this, Const. Yang died bravely. She answered the call to duty today, and she paid the ultimate price,” said McDonald during a news conference late Tuesday afternoon.

Paramedics could be seen working on Yang in a field next to the Burnaby School District office, but sadly she did not survive.

“The loss of Const. Shaelyn Yang is immeasurable to her family, her friends, to all her team members and colleagues and to the greater community here in Burnaby and across the country,” said De La Gorgendiere.

Little information about the suspect has been released so far.

Police say he was living in a tent in the area, but no details about his identity have been shared with the public.

The IIO says he underwent surgery Wednesday night and is recovering from what are now considered to be non-life threatening injuries.

IHIT is expected to provide an update Wednesday which could include more details about a possible motive. 

TRIBUTES POUR IN

Burnaby’s mayor says the city will be offering resources to help those impacted by the fatal attack to cope with the shocking loss.

“RCMP in our community put their lives on the line every day to keep all of us safe. And we owe them much gratitude for those sacrifices that are made daily,” said Mike Hurley. 

Dozens of people dropped by the Burnaby RCMP detachment, dropping off flowers, notes and candles.

Flags were lowered to half-staff as a sign of respect.

“The worst thing that can happen is when a member shows up for duty in the morning and doesn't go home in the evening. It's going to take all of us, RCMP, all the members a long time to recover from that,” said Hurley.

B.C.’s solicitor general and public safety minister was visibly emotional during a press conference shortly after Yang’s death was announced.

“This is absolutely a tragic and horrific situation. Every day we ask thousands of men and women in uniform in this province to go on, do their duty keeping our community safe, keeping the public safe, knowing full well that it's an extremely dangerous job,” said Mike Farnworth. 

He offered his condolences and support to policing agencies across B.C.

“My heart goes out to the family and the friends and the officers and police departments in Burnaby and across this province every day. (They) put their life on the line, to keep all of us in our communities safe,” he said with his voice wavering. 

Police agencies across the nation posted words of solidarity and condolences on social media.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also expressed his sadness on Twitter.

“My thoughts are with the family, friends, and colleagues of the fallen officer – I am keeping you in my thoughts during this terrible time,” reads the tweet.