An RCMP officer in Burnaby, B.C., has been stabbed to death in what Solicitor General Mike Farnworth calls a terrible tragedy.
Farnworth said Tuesday the female officer died in the “course of her duty,” but he had no other details about her death.
Several media reports say the officer was killed while assisting a bylaw officer at a homeless camp.
A visibly shaken Farnworth said thousands of police officers go about their jobs every day and to hear this is the worst news.
“This is absolutely a tragic and horrific situation,” he said.
He expressed sincere condolences to all police officers in B.C.
“All of us in this legislature understand and know the dangerous job police officers do day in, day out, on our behalf.”
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. has confirmed it has been deployed to an incident involving police in Burnaby, however it would not confirm the stabbing or whether it involved RCMP.
The office investigates any incidents linked to police in B.C. involving serious harm or death.