Man accused of murdering Const. Shaelyn Yang was wanted on warrant, documents show

The man accused of stabbing Const. Shaelyn Yang to death in Burnaby, B.C., this week was wanted on a warrant for a previous assault charge, court documents show.

The warrant for Jongwon Ham was issued after the 37-year-old failed to appear in court on Friday. The previous allegations, which also include resisting arrest, stem from an incident in March.

Ham has since been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Yang's death. Under the Criminal Code, first-degree murder applies any time a police officer is killed, “irrespective of whether (it is) planned and deliberate.”

Homicide investigators have said Yang, who was a member of the Burnaby RCMP's mental health and homeless outreach team, and a bylaw officer had approached a man camped out at Broadview Park on Tuesday to inform him he would have to leave.

"They weren't there to remove him at the time, they were just there to notify him of that," Sgt. Timothy Pierotti of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said Wednesday.

Pierotti couldn't confirm whether Yang knew she would be dealing with Ham when she went to the park, or if she was aware of his warrant.

"She was performing her regular duties. We often get called to assist the city with going and speaking to people in encampments or any kind of transient camp. We don't always know who it is," Pierotti said.

"She was not there to execute the warrant."

CAMPER HAD BEEN IN PARK A WHILE, WITNESS SAYS

A delivery driver whose work often brings him to the Burnaby School District office beside the park told CTV News someone had been camping there for a "long time" prior to Tuesday's incident, 

Lakhwinder Dhaliwal also said he had seen Ham confronted by officers before. 

"He wasn't so loud about it when the other cops were talking to him, he seemed pretty calm," Dhaliwal said.

"But they could not remove him, he just wanted to stay here at all costs." 

The driver said he arrived in the area to drop off a package just moments after the altercation with Yang.

"It was devastating what I saw yesterday, just crazy," he said. "I saw the officers giving her CPR."

The City of Burnaby has said it's reviewing the circumstances around Yang's stabbing death to determine whether any changes need to be implemented in the way authorities check on tents.