Date set for funeral of slain B.C. RCMP officer

A date and time have been set for the regimental funeral of Const. Shaelyn Yang, the RCMP officer killed in the line of duty in Burnaby, B.C.

The detachment has announced that the Mounties will hold the official service on Nov. 2 at 11 a.m. at the Olympic Oval in Richmond. Yang's family is continuing to ask for privacy but is expected to release a statement through the RCMP in the coming days.

"The need to provide the family time and space is important as they go through the grieving process and prepare for the funeral," the announcement says, noting that there has already been an outpouring of condolences from B.C. and beyond.

The funeral will not be open to the public, with seating reserved for "family, invited guests, designated officials and uniformed members participating in the funeral march," according to the announcement.

However, the police force is also looking at setting up "alternative viewing options."

Yang, 31, joined the RCMP in 2019 and was working as a member of the Burnaby detachment's mental health and homeless outreach team when she was fatally stabbed on Oct. 18.

Officials have said she was called to a park, along with a city bylaw officer, and the pair were engaged with someone living in a tent when an altercation erupted. Yang succumbed to her injuries after being rushed to the hospital.

The suspect, since identified as Jongwon Ham, was shot and suffered non-life threatening injuries. Ham has been charged with first-degree murder and is next due in court on the day of Yang's funeral.