Suspect charged with first-degree murder in fatal stabbing of B.C. RCMP officer

A man has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of RCMP Constable Shaelyn Yang in Burnaby, B.C.

Jongwon Ham, 37, made a first appearance in court on Wednesday and was remanded in custody until Nov. 2, according to the BC Prosecution Service. Under the Criminal Code, the killing of a police officer is automatically considered first-degree murder, regardless of premeditation.

Mr. Ham had at least two recent violent interactions in Vancouver. In February, 2021, Vancouver Police responded to a call near Main and Keefer streets, where a man allegedly made racial slurs and kicked a victim in the face. Police located the suspect in another fight nearby, and the suspect resisted arrest, according to police. Mr. Ham was charged with assault and resisting a peace officer.

This past March, Mr. Ham was accused of making anti-Muslim comments to food court patrons at the Harbour Centre business and retail complex and assaulting a security guard, and was arrested and charged with assault. Court records show that a warrant for his arrest in connection with the case was approved on Monday – one day before the fatal stabbing.

On Wednesday, police said Constable Yang was in the park on her regular outreach duties, and was not there to execute the warrant. They were unaware if she knew of his background.

Constable Yang, 31, was part of the force’s mental health and homeless outreach team, and had been paired with a municipal parks employee on Tuesday morning to check on a man in a tent at Broadview Park. An altercation ensued, Constable Yang was stabbed and the man shot. Both were taken to hospital, where the officer died and the suspect is in stable condition.

Police mourn RCMP constable fatally stabbed at homeless campsite in Burnaby, B.C.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C., which looks into any incidents of serious harm or death involving police, is also reviewing what happened. Chief civilian director Ronald MacDonald said on Wednesday that his office had obtained video evidence of the incident and that he expected the investigation to conclude “sooner than later.”

Constable Yang lived in Richmond and had joined Burnaby RCMP in December, 2019, said Chief Superintendent Graham de la Gorgendiere, the detachment commander.

“Her death while on duty and in service to our community is both senseless and tragic,” he said on Tuesday. “Working with mental health and homelessness can be challenging, but Shaelyn embraced that job with passion.”