Suspect detained under the Mental Health Act
A 24-year-old female security guard at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus died early Saturday morning after sustaining injuries from an assault, according to reports.
The victim was assaulted before 6 a.m. on the same day in the University Centre building on the campus, just outside Kelowna, B.C. A male university worker was responsible for the fatal assault, according to police. He was arrested under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital.
“He remains in hospital and is possibly facing murder charges,” Kelowna RCMP Cpl. Tammy Lobb said in a Monday release.
“Our thoughts are with the victim’s family, friends, and co-workers at this time,” Lobb said.
In the initial news release, they said there was no continuing risk to public safety, reported the Vancouver Sun.
Neither the victim nor the suspect has been publicly identified by police.
Earlier, the union representing Toronto transit workers joined a nationwide effort to call for better protection for employees after two Toronto Transit Commission workers were assaulted last month.
“We are devastated that something like this would happen on our campus,” said Lesley Cormack, deputy vice-chancellor and principal at UBC Okanagan.
Cormack continued to say that the university is working very closely with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and partners to provide any assistance required in the investigation.
Cormack also encouraged everyone to seek out the support and services offered to students, faculty and staff.
Several other workers have also been victims of assault.
Two staff members of the Edmonton Institution in Alberta suffered injuries as they were responding to an incident inside the facility. They were assaulted inside the maximum-security federal institution when responding to a “physical altercation” between two inmates.
In November 2021, a male Costco shopper in Calgary, AB was convicted with multiple assault charges for his response to the mask use policy inside the store. The man was charged with four counts of assault and one count of resisting arrest related to a series of altercations at the 32nd Street N.E. business in November 2020. The man swung around and struck a female constable in the face with a closed fist, according to witnesses.
Also in November 2021, a hostile customer at a Calgary bar was found guilty of assault for coughing at one of the establishment’s employees. The incident took place in November 2020, when a provincially imposed mask mandate was in place. During the incident, a 60-year-old patron intervened and placed a hand on the shoulder of the accused before suggesting he leave. However, the accused swung around and struck the older patron in the face.
Earlier in 2021, Yukon helped out employers in the province prepare as the new Violence and Harassment Prevention Regulation was set to take effect. The amendments to Part 1 – General of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations make the Regulations about hazard assessment clearer and easier to understand.
