A 22-year-old Kelowna man has been charged with the murder of UBC Okanagan security guard Harmandeep Kaur.
Dante Ognibene-Hebbourn was arrested on April 5, according to a Kelowna RCMP news release.
Ognibene-Hebbourn was working at the university and allegedly assaulted Kaur in one of the campus buildings. She later died of her injuries.
He’s facing a second-degree murder charge, which was approved by the B.C. Prosecution Service after a Kelowna RCMP serious crimes unit investigation.
“This has been a difficult few weeks for the community in the aftermath of the tragic events of Feb. 26. The response in support to the woman’s family has been remarkable,” Insp. Beth McAndie, of Kelowna RCMP, said in the release.
Kaur was 24 years old when she died in Kelowna, where she worked for Paladin Security.
Ognibene-Hebbourn was working at the university for janitorial company Best Service.
He was arrested under the mental health act the night of the incident.
On February 26, 2022 the RCMP reported that “a security guard had been assaulted while working on the campus. The victim, a 24-year-old woman, has succumbed to her injuries sustained as a result of this incident.”
“Shortly after the incident occurred, the suspect was identified and he was apprehended under the Mental Health Act. He remains in hospital and is possibly facing murder charges,” said Cpl. Tammy Lobb, Kelowna RCMP.
Her untimely tragic death has sent shock waves across Kelowna’s Indo-Canadian community raising questions about security of young girls working in security companies.
The community is also questioned presence of the mentally unstable worker on the university’s campus who allegedly attacked Kaur.
A GoFundMe campaign has been started by Kaur’s cousin, KuljitPabla, for Kaur’s parents, who arrived in Canada from Punjab after hearing the tragic loss of their daughter on March 2. The donations are pouring in generously for Kaur and her family from across Canada. Within few days campaign has been able to collect more than $50,000 dollars for the cause. “The money raised will be essential in helping her family with travel and funeral costs as well as potential legal costs to pursue justice for her,” wrote Pabla.
Pabla informed that Kaur came to Canada in 2015 with a dream of attending a university and becoming a paramedic. She first studied at Columbia College in Vancouver and moved to Kelowna in 2018.
Kaur had received her PR this January and was incredibly excited to have her parents come visit her this April.
“She risked and lost her young life while patrolling the very grounds that she had hoped to one day walk as a student. 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,” said Pabla.
He also wrote that the community wants justice for Harmandeep and “her senseless, unprovoked, and devastating death. Her life was taken far too soon.”
Kaur’s parents later had her er body transported to Squamish for a funeral.
