B.C. Mountie Shaelyn Yang remembered as 'more than a hero' at regimental funeral service
Thousands of first responders march to honour officer killed in the line of duty
The sound of bagpipes rang out in the crisp autumn air in Richmond, B.C., as Mounties paid tribute to one of their own with a procession and service honouring an officer killed on the job last month.
RCMP Const. Shaelyn Yang, 31, a homeless and mental health outreach officer, was fatally stabbed while responding to a call about a man in a tent in a park in Burnaby, B.C., just east of Vancouver, on Oct. 18.
Yang, who lived in Richmond, was remembered Wednesday with a regimental funeral that began with a street procession to the Richmond Olympic Oval, where mourners gathered at 11 a.m. PT to say their final goodbyes — and thank yous — to Yang.
"She was a hero long before she paid the ultimate sacrifice," said RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki.
The streets of Richmond, which borders Vancouver to the south, were a parade of colour as Mounties marched in red serge and first responders from across the country and Washington state paraded to the funeral venue.
The slap of their boots on the concrete and the steady beat of drums kept time as a crowd of public mourners stood by in sombre solidarity.
The procession was led by the RCMP E Division Pipe Band and, as is RCMP tradition, included a riderless horse known as a charger as a tribute to the fallen officer.
Yang's casket was carried by a hearse surrounded by honorary police pallbearers, while colleagues who trained with Yang, or knew her personally, kept step behind the hearse.
A hero remembered
Shortly before 11 a.m., the procession ended and participants filed into the funeral venue.
Yang's casket, draped in the Canadian flag, was carried by pallbearers to the front of the room as the primarily uniformed audience watched in silence.
Hats in hand and hands on heart, the mourners stood for the national anthem before the ceremony began.
Yang was the daughter of immigrants from Taichung in central Taiwan. Her parents flew from Taiwan to Vancouver to attend her funeral and the family had two representatives speak on their behalf.
Jamie Simpson, a longtime friend of Yang's wife Simone, spoke of the love between the couple and of Yang's warmth, strength and dedication to helping the most vulnerable in her community without judgment.
Simpson described a humble, gentle woman who loved the rain, her new puppy, basketball, martial arts and the colour black despite wearing a red tuxedo to her wedding in 2019.
"She was cool beyond measure," said Simpson.
Speaking after Simpson, Ash Tan said Yang was always a hero to his family — and now the rest of the world knows it, too.
Tan spoke of Yang's empathy, her faith that she could make the world a better place, and that despite facing adversity in her own life, she only grew warmer and kinder.
"Shay was more than a hero, she was human," said Tan.
Lucki and B.C. RCMP Commanding Officer Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald addressed the crowded funeral on behalf of the force. Both spoke of a woman who had an unwavering commitment to her colleagues and career.
Before Yang joined the force full time, she had volunteered with RCMP Victim Services in Richmond prior to her service in Burnaby on the mental health and outreach team. She also volunteered with B.C. Cancer and Canadian Blood Services.
"She always stepped up, without hesitation, whenever there was a need," said McDonald.
It is customary in a regimental funeral for pallbearers to be close colleagues of the deceased. Const. Inder Gill worked with Yang in Burnaby and when he spoke it was both to honour her memory and comfort those left to remember her.
"Know that you are not alone, for every call that you attend … Shaelyn is with us in our hearts," said Gill, his voice thick with emotion.
"I love you forever my friend."
The funeral concluded with uniformed members issuing a final salute to Yang.
The RCMP said as many as 2,000 police officers were joined in the funeral procession by members of the Canada Border Services Agency, the Armed Forces, sheriffs, firefighters and the B.C. Ambulance Service, while another 1,500 members were expected to attend the funeral itself.
Jongwon Ham, 37, is accused of first-degree murder in Yang's death. On Wednesday, he was remanded in custody until Nov. 16.
Anyone who wishes to send a message to the family can email RCMP.Condolences-Condoleances.GRC@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Police say emails will be relayed to Yang's loved ones and the Burnaby detachment.
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With files from The Canadian Press