A suspect has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of an on-duty RCMP officer in Burnaby, B.C., on Tuesday.
The B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed Jongwon Ham made his first court appearance in Vancouver Provincial Court on Wednesday. He was remanded until Nov. 2, meaning he is still in custody.
Ham is accused of killing Const. Shaelyn Yang, 31, who was helping a city bylaw officer with a call in Broadview Park when she was stabbed.
The officer died of her injuries in hospital.
Court records show Ham, who is in his 30s, was wanted on an assault charge related to an incident in Vancouver on March 17. A warrant for his arrest had been issued Monday.
On Wednesday, the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. said Yang shot the stabbing suspect before she died. He was taken to hospital to be treated for what paramedics described as critical injuries.
Yang was the only officer to fire her weapon during the incident. The IIO is investigating her actions because the office’s mandate is to review all police actions resulting in death or serious harm in B.C.
The separate investigation into Ham’s alleged actions is being led by RCMP.
Yang had been with the RCMP for three years. Described by her superiors Tuesday as a “kind and compassionate person,” she worked for the Burnaby detachment’s mental health and homelessness outreach team.
WATCH | Burnaby RCMP chief superintendent remembers Const. Shaelyn Yang:
Supt. Graham De La Gorgendiere delivered an emotional tribute to Const. Shaelyn Yang, who died Tuesday morning after being stabbed during an altercation in Burnaby, B.C.
Police watchdog hopes to finish investigation ‘sooner rather than later’
The IIO said its investigators have obtained security video from a nearby building that shows the entirety of the incident that led to Yang’s death.
“The field is large, the video is from a distance but it does give an overview of what occurred that is very helpful to our investigation,” chief civilian director Ronald MacDonald told reporters on Wednesday.
Because of the video, MacDonald said he hopes the IIO’s investigation will finish “sooner rather than later” — in a matter of weeks, not months.
The IIO isn’t investigating any other officers. MacDonald said he could not provide any further information on the suspect because of the RCMP’s ongoing investigation.