'Sadness prevails': Vancouver Island Mounties mourn loss of Burnaby officer

Flags were at half-mast around the capital region and grief was close to the surface at the West Shore RCMP detachment Wednesday, where police held a moment of silence to honour a slain colleague.

“Sadness prevails today and yesterday,” said an emotional Cpl. Nancy Saggar. “Our membership is definitely feeling the blow of grief.”

She and her fellow Mounties were reacting to the shocking death of RCMP Const. Shaelyn Yang, who was stabbed to death Tuesday in Burnaby, B.C.

“Const. Yang was a member of the RCMP family, so we're all feeling the loss of a family member,” Saggar said.

Yang worked with the RCMP’s mental health and homeless outreach team. She was killed while on duty following an altercation with a man living in a tent in Broadview Park.

The man was shot by police. He now faces first-degree murder charges.

Saggar says the incident serves as a reminder of how quickly things can escalate and the need to be vigilant on the job.

“I don’t think it’s a necessary a change in protocol, but definitely in terms of awareness. It does increase your officer awareness. It brings that to the top when something like this happens,” she said.

Meanwhile, staff at Victoria’s Our Place Society emphasize that violence from those experiencing homelessness is rare.

“Very little violence against the general public,” said Grant McKenzie, spokesperson for Our Place. “There’s a lot of fear out there, especially when you hear something like this."

During the pandemic, Victoria council increased funding to retain extra police officers to provide backup to Victoria bylaw officers who felt unsafe doing checks in certain city parks.