Slain Burnaby, B.C., officer remembered for her 'compassionate and caring' work with vulnerable people

An RCMP officer who worked in the Burnaby detachment's mental health and homelessness outreach team was stabbed to death Tuesday while responding to a call about a tent in a local park.

Dwayne McDonald, the deputy commissioner of the B.C. force, told reporters at a hastily-called news conference Const. Shaelyn Yang, 31, had been a member of the RCMP for just three years.

"She was a loving wife, a sister, and a daughter," he said. "Those she worked with before joining the RCMP and her police colleagues described Const. Yang as a kind and compassionate person, which makes her death even more difficult to accept ... Her loss is immeasurable."

Police say Yang was accompanying a member of the city's parks department to the call about the tent located in Broadview Park when the altercation occurred.

The head of the Burnaby RCMP detachment also remembered Yang, his voice breaking as he spoke.

"Standing here today, speaking about the impact, the line of duty deaths of one of our members is probably the most difficult thing I've had to do in my entire career," Chief Supt. Graham De La Gorgendiere said.

"She was compassionate and caring and she brought those skills every day to her job working with the community's most vulnerable, including those with mental health issues. 

"The hours, weeks, and months ahead will be difficult."

WATCH | Burnaby RCMP chief superintendent remembers Shaelyn Yang:

In a statement to CBC, B.C. Emergency Health Services said it received a call at 11:17 Tuesday morning about a police incident at Canada Way and Curle Avenue in Burnaby. BCEHS said a total of eight ground ambulances responded and paramedics cared for and transported two patients to hospital in critical condition.

The B.C. RCMP's deputy commissioner and the head of the Burnaby RCMP detachment spoke about Yang's death shortly after 4:30 p.m. PT.

Police said Yang was transported to hospital and declared dead there and the suspect in her stabbing was shot, injured and brought to hospital .

Provincial Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth was among the first to publicly confirm the officer's death Tuesday with a brief, solemn statement.

"This is absolutely a tragic and horrific situation," the minister said, speaking to reporters at the B.C. Legislature.