The RCMP officer who was killed on obligation in Burnaby, B.C., Tuesday has been recognized as Const. Shaelyn Yang, a member of the native detachment’s psychological well being and homeless outreach crew.
Speaking at an emotional information convention hours after the tragedy, the head of the Burnaby RCMP described Yang as a valued member who embraced the challenges concerned in engaged on her specialised unit.
“She was compassionate and caring, and he or she introduced these expertise daily to her job working with our group’s most weak,” mentioned Chief Supt. Graham De La Gorgendiere, who at occasions struggled to take care of his composure.
De La Gorgendiere described the incident that value Yang her life as mindless and tragic, and mentioned delivering the information of her dying was “most likely the most troublesome factor I’ve needed to do in my profession.”
Officials mentioned Yang and a Burnaby bylaw officer had been referred to as to Broadview Park on Tuesday morning, and had been engaged with somebody tenting in a tent when an altercation erupted.
Yang was stabbed, and succumbed to her accidents after being rushed to hospital. She was 31.
“She answered the name to obligation at the moment and he or she paid the final value,” mentioned Deputy Comm. Dwayne McDonald, commanding officer of the B.C. RCMP. “Her loss is immeasurable.”
The constable was a “loving spouse, a sister and a daughter,” McDonald added.
A suspect was additionally shot throughout the altercation, and remained in hospital Tuesday afternoon with accidents that officers mentioned weren’t life-threatening.
The RCMP supplied few particulars about what passed off in the park, citing an energetic investigation by B.C.’s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, in addition to a parallel investigation by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.
Despite some early media studies of a “homeless encampment” at Broadview Park, authorities confirmed there was solely a single tent.
Yang started her policing profession in Richmond, the place she lived, earlier than graduating as a police officer in 2019. She joined the Burnaby RCMP the similar 12 months, and remained there till her dying.
CONDOLENCES POUR IN
Late Tuesday afternoon, flags at the detachment and at the provincial legislature had been lowered to half-mast out of respect for the fallen officer.
Speaking to reporters shortly after receiving information of Yang’s dying, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth described the scenario as “tragic and horrific.”
“Every day, we ask 1000’s of women and men in uniform on this province to do their obligation, preserving our group protected, preserving the public protected, understanding full effectively that it is an especially harmful job,” Farnworth mentioned, his voice shaking.
“This is the worst information that anybody desires to listen to.”
As phrase unfold, messages of assist started flooding in from throughout the province and nation, together with from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“My ideas are with the household, mates, and colleagues of the fallen officer – I’m preserving you in my ideas throughout this horrible time,” he mentioned on Twitter.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh referred to as the dying “an unimaginable loss” and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre mentioned he was “heartbroken.”