According to court records, a Vancouver provincial court judge issued an arrest warrant for Jongwon Ham a month before the 37-year-old allegedly stabbed Const. Shaelyn Yang after she and a park employee approached the tent where Ham lived for months. Hamm – who was shot after allegedly attacking Young – appeared in court from hospital on the murder charge on Wednesday morning, along with two previous assault charges that were still before the courts. He was remanded in custody until November 2. Yang has been an RCMP officer for just three years. Described by her superiors Tuesday as a “kind and compassionate person,” she worked with the Burnaby detachment’s mental health and homelessness outreach team. She died of her injuries at the hospital.
“I’ve seen this guy before”
The field where the incident happened was cordoned off by yellow police tape on Wednesday. A tiny yellow speckled North Face tent sat in the middle of the field, located next to the parking lot next to the Burnaby school board headquarters. A series of numbered yellow markers led from the scene to a spot a few meters away where the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) had set up a canopy. Delivery driver Lakhwinder Dhaliwal watched as emergency responders tried to revive Const. Shaelyn Yang. (Jason Proctor/CBC) Delivery driver Lakhwinder Dhaliwal watched emergency responders as they tried to save Yang Tuesday. A close delivery took him back on Wednesday around the same time. The 36-year-old shook his head as he recalled the scene. “I saw policemen trying to revive her, giving her CPR. And four policemen attending the knifeman. They tried to revive her but they couldn’t,” Dhaliwal said. “(I’m) a little devastated, to be honest, after learning that a female officer was just stabbed to death. It’s just terrible to see that. Because I’ve seen this guy before.” Dhaliwal was one of several people who told the CBC that the tent and its occupant had been in and around the field for months. The field is bounded by a busy main thoroughfare on one side and a tennis court and playground on the other. In addition to the school board offices, the area is also home to residents of a number of townhouse complexes. A series of trails lead to a nearby wooded area where several people have said they have also seen a scene before. Joe Turtle said he played Frisbee with his dog on the field where the incident happened. He said his wife had complained several times and believes the tent’s occupant has had contact with park employees in the past. “It’s been there for a long, long time,” Turtle said, noting that the stage used to sit in the far corner of the field but was moved to the middle more recently. “He doesn’t talk. I’ve said hi to him a few times, and he just stares at me.”
“Regular people like me don’t stand a chance”
Court records show Hamm was facing two separate assault charges at the time of the attack. He was charged with assaulting a man and resisting a Vancouver police officer in February 2021, was released on bail in March 2022, and then charged with assaulting someone else a few days later. An orange tent and one from the Comprehensive Homicide Investigation Team are seen among coroners at Broadview Park on Oct. 19, 2022, where Burnaby RCMP officer Const. Shaelyn Yang was killed the day before. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Hamm was released on his own recognizance and subsequently rearrested several times after failing to appear in court. He was supposed to report to a bail officer and was also not allowed to possess weapons. A judge issued a warrant for his arrest on Sept. 14 after he failed to appear in downtown Vancouver community court. Hamm also failed to appear at another court date scheduled for Monday. Details of the previous assaults are not contained in the paper trail of court documents, but the details of the release, bail and failure to appear in court fit a pattern that has troubled communities around British Columbia struggling to deal with homelessness and the casual violence and petty crime that has been associated with mental illness and addiction. Mayors from cities including Burnaby have publicly protested the so-called “catch and release” justice system — criticism that drew a sharp rebuke from the Crown Prosecution Service. Dhaliwal said he sees a lot as a delivery driver. “Burnaby is getting pretty [bad] right now. It’s scary. It’s not good. Especially if the police can get hurt and killed, then normal people like me didn’t stand a chance.” A lonely scene is pictured among coroners on Oct. 19, 2022, at the scene where Burnaby RCMP officer Const. Shaelyn Yang was killed in Broadview Park in Burnaby, BC (Ben Nelms/CBC)
The officer shot the suspect before she died
On Wednesday, BC’s Office of Independent Investigations said Young 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 that result in death or serious harm in B.C. The RCMP is leading the separate investigation into Ham. WATCHES | Burnaby RCMP chief remembers Const. Shaelyn Yang:
Burnaby RCMP Chief Superintendent remembers constable killed in the line of duty
Supt. Graham De La Gorgendiere paid a moving tribute to Const. Shaelyn Yang, who died Tuesday morning after being stabbed during an argument in Burnaby, B.C.
Police hope to wrap up investigation ‘sooner rather than later’
The IIO said its investigators obtained security video from a nearby building showing the entirety of the incident that led to Young’s death. “The field is large, the video is from a distance, but it gives an overview of what happened that is very helpful to our investigation,” Chief Political Officer Ronald McDonald told reporters on Wednesday. Reports that began circulating online on Tuesday said the stabbing happened as officers and police officers were responding to a call to a homeless encampment. But officials later said only one tent was involved and that the city worker was part of a parks department team working to move people from tents to shelters. Flowers are displayed Wednesday at the Burnaby RCMP detachment in memory of Burnaby RCMP officer Const. Shaelyn Yang, who was killed the day before while on duty. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Since there was video of the incident, MacDonald said he hoped the IIO’s investigation would be completed “sooner rather than later” — in a matter of weeks, not months. The IIO does not investigate other officers. MacDonald said he could not release more information about the suspect due to the RCMP’s ongoing investigation.
