'Always a hero': Thousands pay respects to fallen B.C. RCMP officer Shaelyn Yang

Fallen B.C. RCMP officer Shaelyn Yang had an extraordinary and unwavering faith in humanity, her family said during an emotional funeral service Wednesday.

The regimental funeral was held in Richmond, where Yang lived with her wife Simone, and was attended by thousands of first responders who travelled from across Canada and parts of the United States to pay their respects.

Yang's cousin Ash Tan delivered a eulogy on behalf of her family, and described the constable, who worked in the Burnaby RCMP detachment's mental health and homeless outreach team, as having had a lifelong dedication to helping others.

"Shaelyn Yang was always a hero," said Tan. "All her family and friends who have loved her and been so proud of her, we've always known this."

Before becoming a Mountie, Yang was a volunteer with the Richmond RCMP's victim services unit. She also volunteered with B.C. Cancer and Canadian Blood Services.

"Everything she did was defined by her empathy, her compassion, and her belief that she could change the world," Tan said. "She helped everyone she could because she had faith in them. She had faith that we – each and every one of us – could make this world a better place."

She did so despite facing what her family described as "the sort of adversity that can really change a person."

"She faced so much adversity," Tan said. "But in all the time I knew her, she only ever grew warmer and kinder than before."

Family friend Jamie Simpson spoke on behalf of Yang's partner and her relatives, and described the loving home the couple built after marrying in 2019 and adopting their dog, Barbara.

When Yang was struggling through a difficult RCMP training program in Regina, Simone visited her every two weeks for six months to support her dream of becoming an officer, Simpson said. 

"It is an honour to have known Shae," he said. "She was principled – principled in a way that helped people around her be better, do better, be more compassionate, be less judgmental."

Simpson also described the deceased as someone with some unorthodox tastes; she preferred rainy weather, and her favourite colour was black, he said.

"At her wedding, she wore white trainers with little red hearts and a red tuxedo," Simpson added.

Yang was stabbed to death last month during an altercation in Burnaby's Broadview Park, where she had been called to assist city staff speaking with a person living in a tent. The incident left many first responders shaken.

Upwards of 2,000 RCMP officers gathered to watch Yang laid to rest Wednesday, along with nearly as many municipal police officers, paramedics, firefighters and members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The event began with a funeral procession that ran along Russ Baker Way, crossed the Fraser River at Gilbert Road and continued on to the Richmond Olympic Oval, the only indoor venue in the city with the capacity to host such a massive crowd.

Once inside, the service opened with a performance of O Canada by RCMP Const. Destiny Symonds and remarks from Chaplain Patrick Tracy of the Burnaby RCMP detachment.

"Shae demonstrated kind consideration for those she encountered on both sides of the badge," Tracy said. "She was loved along her journey by those too many to name – you know who you are."

In lieu of flowers, the detachment said donations can be made in Yang's name to a number of causes that were close to her heart, including the B.C. SPCA and Honour House.

An electronic book of condolences is also still available, and can be signed by email or by visiting the Burnaby RCMP detachment. 

Despite the huge attendance of police officers at Wednesday's service, Peter German, former RCMP deputy commissioner, said police forces would have remained well staffed during the event, with some bringing in help from neighbouring detachments as required.

"The public can rest assured that all calls for service are being answered, all 911 calls. There are staff at all the detachments and municipal police offices as you would normally see," German told CTV News. 

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Regan Hasegawa and Lisa Steacy