First suspect in Rocky View County Shooting arrested, second suspect identified
RCMP have made progress in the investigation of a senseless shooting of two people that led to an emergency alert on Aug. 6.
The Alberta RCMP have laid charges against Edmonton resident Arthur Wayne Penner with the first-degree murder of Colin John Hough, as well as the attempted murder of another individual.
Police announced Aug. 12, Penner had been arrested and was taken before a justice of the peace. He was remanded into custody and scheduled to appear before the Alberta Court of Justice in Airdrie, Aug. 15.
Additionally, as of Aug. 12, RCMP announced their ongoing search for Elijah Blake Strawberry, who is the second suspect in the Aug. 6, shooting which took place in Rocky View County.
A warrant for his arrest for the second-degree murder of Hough has been issued, and police have requested the public’s assistance in locating Strawberry. He has been indicated to still be armed and extremely dangerous, and if seen, the public was advised to not approach him, instead to dial 911 immediately.
Strawberry is described as having a light complexion, being 6-foot-1-inch tall, 169 pounds, brown hair, and several arm and face tattoos.
On Aug. 6, at approximately 12 p.m., officers from Strathmore RCMP had received a report of two men who had been shot while doing work along a roadway on Township Road 250 and Range Road 281 in Rocky View County.
Police arrived at the scene to discover Hough and another victim had been shot during an attempted robbery by two then unknown individuals.
Mark Wielgosz, Strathmore RCMP detachment commander, explained during an Aug. 12 press conference, the two suspects burned the stolen vehicle they arrived at the scene in, and stole one of the victim’s Rocky View County pickup truck.
Responding officers were able to locate the suspects in the Rocky View County pickup truck and engaged in a pursuit, however at the time, the suspects were successful in evading police. Wielgosz explained pursuit speeds exceeded 170 km/h.
The Rocky View County vehicle was subsequently dumped in the area of Range Road 260 and township Road 252 in Wheatland County.
A shelter in place order and emergency alert had previously been issued, advising Strathmore and Wheatland County residents to shelter inside, remain in safe locations, and to not pick up hitchhikers.
A search of the area was conducted which included resources from several RCMP detachments, such as police dog services, RCMP Emergency Response Team, Calgary Tactical Team, and HAWCS from Calgary City Police.
At that point in the investigation, police had limited and vague descriptions of the suspects. RCMP released that providing vague or potentially inaccurate information to the public about the suspects could have been misleading and potentially dangerous.
As of Aug. 7, a vehicle of interest in relation to the investigation had been identified. The vehicle was a white 2013 Dodge Ram with teal aftermarket rims and bullet shell shaped lug nuts. The truck was stolen from a residence in Calgary, Aug. 5 at 5:55 a.m.
Insp. Breanne Brown, Officer in Charge of Alberta RCMP Serious Crimes Branch, explained the suspects were involved in a minor collision in Calgary unrelated to the shootings, in which the stolen 2013 Dodge Ram was partially disabled. The suspects then drove to the location where the shooting victims were working and attempted to steal the new vehicle. It was at that time that the victims were shot.
It was confirmed by police that Hough had seen the damaged Ram pulled over which had been set on fire and had gone out of his way to attempt to help prior to being shot.
“This is unprecedented, this is not something we typically see with the Alberta RCMP, this is not normal, and I can’t speak to what they were thinking at the time. We will know further as we continue our investigation,” said Brown.
Penner had been identified as a suspect as of Aug. 8. Once charge approvals were obtained from Alberta Crown Prosecutors by RCMP, Penner was safely arrested in Edmonton with assistance from the Edmonton Police Service.
Strawberry was identified as the second suspect, Aug. 11. RCMP obtained a warrant for his arrest, Aug. 12, following receipt of crown approval.
An update released Aug. 8, stated RCMP are seeking a potential witness to the crime, who was driving a dark grey Volkswagen Golf Sportwagon past the scene at the same time the crime occurred. The driver and any occupants of the vehicle at that time are requested to come forward to police in order to aid in the investigation.
On Aug. 9, RCMP requested public assistance in locating a stolen quad which was believed to have been stolen from a Wheatland County property, Aug. 7 at approximately 1:34 p.m. This theft may be connected to the ongoing investigation surrounding Penner and Strawberry.
“I want to assure everyone that the RCMP has done, and continue to do, everything in our power to swiftly investigate and arrest these dangerous suspects. I give my most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Colin Hough who was out working and making a living when these individuals took his life,” said Wielgosz. “I also want the other victim in this tragedy to know that our thoughts are with him as well as he recovers from this traumatic incident.”
Strawberry has been requested to peacefully turn himself in to the nearest police detachment and help to resolve the investigation.