RCMP officer fatally stabbed following altercation with homeless camper in park

Oct 19 2022, 12:00 am

A female Burnaby RCMP officer is dead following a fatal stabbing at a city park near Canada Way and Willingdon Avenue.

Burnaby RCMP revealed that an officer, Constable Shaelyn Yang, was murdered following an altercation with a camper at Broadview Park. According to the BC RCMP, Yang became entangled during the altercation, which resulted in Yang being stabbed and the camper being shot. She was only 31 years old.

The homeless camper who was shot is in hospital but expected to survive.

Yang was a member of the RCMP mental health and outreach team and someone RCMP officers described as a compassionate person who cared a lot about her community. She started as a volunteer in Richmond, where she also lived.

RCMP commissioner Dwayne McDonald called the incident “senseless and tragic.”

rcmp officer dead

Sukhwant Dhillon/AM 600 Sher-E-Punjab Radio

Former RCMP Sergeant Elenore Sturko offered her condolences to the family.

BC Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth released a statement on the incident.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also reacted to the incident.

Burnaby mayor shares more details

Daily Hive spoke with Burnaby mayor Mike Hurley, who said the incident began when a city worker approached a person camping in Broadview Park. Hurley suggests that the worker, a City of Burnaby employee within the parks department, approached the camper to help them find housing and ask them to move “hopefully into a shelter.”

“They went to check on the person, as would be normal for our team,” Hurley said, adding that is when the incident occurred.

According to Hurley, mental health support will be extended to all City of Burnaby staff.

“A young police officer went to work this morning and unfortunately didn’t go home this evening. And that’s devastating for all of us,” Hurley said.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation team has been deployed and has taken over the investigation.

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