The trial assessing the mental fitness of a man accused of killing RCMP Const. Shaelyn Yang has commenced in the BC Supreme Court in Vancouver. Jongwon Ham, the defendant, donned a grey suit and white sneakers for the hearing held on Friday. He faces a first-degree murder charge for the fatal stabbing of Yang in October 2022.
Justice Michael Tammen ordered a fitness assessment for Ham as his judge-alone trial was about to start last month, leading to this three-day fitness hearing. An interim publication ban is currently in place, barring the reporting of specific details from the proceedings, which are slated to continue next week.
During a fitness hearing, a judge evaluates whether the accused possesses the mental capacity to comprehend the charges against them and engage effectively in their defense. This assessment does not delve into the individual’s mental state at the time of the alleged offense.
The tragic incident occurred on Oct. 18, 2022, when Yang was fatally stabbed while approaching a man seeking shelter in a tent at Broadview Park in Burnaby, B.C. The man in the tent was subsequently shot and injured by Yang, as confirmed by British Columbia’s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, which found no grounds to pursue charges against any officer involved.
Yang, a mental health and homeless outreach officer, had been with the RCMP for three years before her untimely death.