Murder charge laid in death of UBCO security guard

Kelowna RCMP have charged a 22-year-old man in the death of a security guard at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) in February.

Dante Ognibene-Hebbourn faces one charge of second-degree murder. He’s been arrested and will appear in court on April 6. He was initially arrested by police under the Mental Health Act.

“This has been a difficult few weeks for the community in the aftermath of the tragic events of February 26,” Insp. Beth McAndie, Investigative Service Officer, said in a press release. “The response in support to the woman’s family has been remarkable.”

On that day, RCMP were called for an assault on a security guard at the school early Saturday morning. That Monday, Harmandeep Kaur, died from her injuries.

Kaur, originally from Kapurthla, Punjab, India, came to Canada in 2015 with the dream of furthering her education by attending university and eventually becoming a paramedic.

She first studied at Columbia College in Vancouver and simultaneously worked to pay for school. Eventually, she found her way to Kelowna in 2018.

Her death sent shockwaves through the community and sparked calls for greater mental health supports in Kelowna.