STONEY NAKODA – A 16-year-old male was been arrested and charged with attempted murder in connection with the shooting of a German tourist on Aug. 2.
On Aug. 24, members of the RCMP Serious Crimes Branch located and arrested a suspect on the Stoney Nakoda First Nation and charged him with 14 criminal code offences, including attempted murder, discharging a firearm with intent and possession of a prohibited weapon.
RCMP Cpl. Curtis Peters said the accused, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was arrested without incident.
He said there was no connection between the accused and the victim. Investigators also located and seized the vehicle and firearm believed to be involved in the shooting.
“They were not known to each other and there had been no previous conflict,” said Peters, during a press conference on Aug. 28.
“We believe this was an isolated event with the individual involved, with the suspect. We’re not seeking any additional suspects.”
Doctors in Germany have also removed the bullet from the victims head and will send it to Canada where it will undergo forensic testing to compare it to the firearm that was recovered.
Peters declined to delve into the motive behind the shooting.
“I continue to believe that there was no conflict leading up to the shooting, but I won’t go into any further details,” said Peters.
He also confirmed there was another person in the suspect’s vehicle at the time of the shooting, however, he reiterated that police are not seeking any additional suspects.
On Aug. 2, a 60-year-old man was traveling from Banff to Calgary with his family when he was shot in the head by a passing vehicle just west of the Goodstoney Rodeo Centre.
The vehicle continued for several hundred meters before leaving the road and crashing into trees on the north side of Highway 1A.
The driver was conscious and breathing when paramedics arrived and taken by STARS air ambulance to Calgary’s Foothill Hospital. The three other occupants of the car suffered minor injuries and did not require hospital treatment.
Police initially believed it may have been a case of road rage, but later said it was likely a case of mistaken identity.
Following the shooting the RCMP seized a Chrysler Sebring and arrested a man in Cochrane on Aug. 3, however, both the vehicle and the man were cleared and later released.
A few days after the shooting the victim was flown to Germany for further treatment.
“The update that I have on his status is he has a very long road of recovery ahead. There will be an extensive amount of physiotherapy to try and regain his quality of life. This has been a life-changing event for him,” said Peters.
He thanked the public for helping with the investigation, which he described as “good old fashion police work” that included talking to over 100 people.
“The investigation could not have reached this successful conclusion without the tremendous amount of support from the residents of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation and members of the public,” said Peters.
“Exhaustive investigative efforts have been ongoing by several RCMP units and detachments and on behalf of the investigative team I want to extend the gratitude to all the members of the public and all of the officers who have worked diligently and tirelessly on this investigation.”
The accused made his first court appearance on Aug. 28 in Cochrane Provincial Court.
