After a investigation that spanned over five weeks, the Kelowna RCMP has arrested and charged a man accused of murdering a UBC Okanagan security guard in February.
Second-degree murder charges against 22-year-old Dante Ognibene-Hebbourn of Kelowna were approved by the BC Prosecution Service today.
He has been brought into custody and will appear in court on Wednesday.
"This has been a difficult few weeks for the community in the aftermath of the tragic events of Feb. 26,” said Insp. Beth McAndie. “The response in support of the woman’s family has been remarkable.”
Harmandeep Kaur, 24, was the victim of the assault while she was working as a security guard at UBCO in late February.
She was rushed to hospital following the incident but sadly died of her injuries, which turned the assault investigation into a homicide investigation.
Shortly after the attack happened, the RCMP identified a suspect and apprehended him under the Mental Health Act.
There has been no confirmation from police that the suspect who was originally apprehended was Ognibene-Hebbourn.
There was an immediate outpouring of support for Kaur, who moved from India to Canada in 2015 with a dream of furthering her education and becoming a paramedic.
The 24-year-old studied at Columbia College in Vancouver before moving to Kelowna in 2018.
“Despite the challenges she faced as she tried to make her way in a new country away from her family back home in India, she always kept her positive attitude and determined spirit,” noted Kuljit Pabla, who created a GoFundMe to support Kaur’s family as they travelled to Kelowna from India to retrieve her body.
“And after years of struggle, she finally recently received her permanent residency in January of this year and was incredibly excited to have her parents come visit her this April.”
The GoFundMe ended up raising more than $80,000, which shattered its fundraising goal of $25,000.
“Everyone that loved her, and continues to love her, experienced the generous support she would give to those around her, always ready to do anything that made the lives of her loved ones safer and happier,” added Pabla.
“There are no words to describe how much Harmandeep will be missed by her mother, father and brother, as well as all of her extended family and friends.”
