Suspect charged with first degree murder in death of Burnaby RCMP officer

The person accused of stabbing and killing Burnaby RCMP Const. Shaelyn Yang has now been charged.

The BC Prosecution Service said in an emailed statement Wednesday afternoon that Jongwon Ham is facing charges of first degree murder.

Ham made a first appearance in court Wednesday and the matter has been remanded until Nov. 2.

The BC Prosecution Service could not provide any further information, as the case is now before the courts.

Court records show the 37-year old is also facing separate charges of alleged assault and wilfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer from February 2021, along with assault charges stemming from an alleged offence from March 2022.

Those offences were allegedly committed in Vancouver.

The Beacon has reached out to Burnaby RCMP for comment.

Yang was stabbed to death while attending a call at Burnaby’s Broadview Park, near Canada Way and Boundary Rd, on Tuesday morning.

Yang, who was part of Burnaby RCMP’s mental health and outreach team, was partnered with a city parks staff member and had been called to the park to check on a person camping in a tent there.

An altercation ensued where Yang was stabbed and Ham was shot.

The Independent Investigations Office, BC’s police watchdog that investigates cases where civilians come to serious harm or death during interactions with police, has confirmed to the Beacon that Yang was the one who shot Hamm—although a media spokesperson was unable to confirm whether Yang discharged her weapon before or after she was stabbed.

BC Emergency Health Services say both were taken to hospital in critical condition.

While Yang succumbed to her injuries in hospital, Ham is expected to survive.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Burnaby RCMP Chief Supt. De La Gorgendiere noted that early media reports that described the situation at the park as a “homeless encampment” were not correct.

“The way it’s been described to me … it [was not] described to me as an encampment at all. That’s not an accurate description,” De La Gorgendiere told reporters.

A resident of the area, who did not wish to be identified, told Burnaby Beacon that they had seen one tent there over the past few months.

They noted that they generally feel safe in the neighbourhood, which they described as quiet.

“There usually isn’t much that happens here. This is the one odd thing,” they said.

Yang, who was 31 years old, has been described as a kind and compassionate person, and as a loving wife, sister, daughter, and friend.