A B.C. RCMP officer who was fatally stabbed at a homeless camp in Burnaby was trying to administer Naloxone to the suspect to revive him after a possible drug overdose, according to a leaked police report.
The report said that on Oct. 18, at around 11 a.m., Cst. Shaelyn Yang of the Burnaby RCMP’s mental health and homeless outreach team, accompanied by a city parks officer, were about to serve an eviction notice to a male occupying a tent in a Burnaby park for several months.
Yang approached the tent and observed a man “with eyes closed and unresponsive” and “feared he was experiencing an overdose,” the report said.
Yang announced that she was going into the tent to administer Naloxone, at which point the man responded and got out of the tent before threatening the parks officer. Yang and the officer backed off and called for assistance.
The male then allegedly charged Yang and stabbed her in the chest area with a knife.
A scuffle ensued, two shots were heard, and another parks officer and bystander came to help restrain the suspect, who said he'd been shot. Yang was holding the suspect’s legs, and the parks officer was also trying to control the suspect before the two shots were fired. The report mentions that Yang then “lost consciousness.”
Suspect Had Prior Charges
The alleged suspect in the case is 37-year-old Jongwon Ham, who was charged with first-degree murder following his arrest on Oct. 18.Court records show that Ham was wanted by police on separate assaults, and a warrant for his arrest was issued on Oct. 17, a day before the incident with Yang, according to the Canadian Press.
In February 2021, Ham was charged with assault and resisting a police officer. In March 2022, Ham was again charged for allegedly assaulting a security guard at the food court in Vancouver’s Harbour Centre.
