Over a month after a deadly shooting in Rocky View County, which claimed the life of an Airdrie man, RCMP announced that 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was arrested Friday afternoon.
"Following an intense search and multiple pleas for information, members of the Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit successfully and safely arrested Strawberry at a residence on O’Chiese First Nation," police stated.
He will be taken before a justice of the peace to determine his release status and future court date.
Police said that with this arrest, they are confident that both suspects involved in the August 6 homicide of Colin John Hough and the attempted murder of another individual are in custody.
Chief Superintendent Roberta McKale said that police received tips and information from the public throughout the last few weeks, and this arrest serves as a reminder of the value of public assistance in maintaining public safety.
"The Alberta RCMP had a significant coordinated effort with many different units engaged from across the Province, offering thousands of work hours to locate and arrest Elijah Strawberry. I would like to thank our dedicated officers from the Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit and all other support Units who worked tirelessly to this point and will continue to work on this investigation now that Elijah Strawberry is in custody."
She also thanked policing partners from Edmonton, Calgary, and Lethbridge Police Services, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams, and the provincial Sheriffs, who all assisted in our efforts to locate this offender.
"As always, our thoughts are with our victims and their families and friends who have been so deeply affected by this senseless tragedy.
Timeline of events
August 6: At approximately noon, officers from the Strathmore RCMP 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.
Investigators previously said that when they arrived on the scene, emergency crews discovered that Airdronian Colin Hough and a 39-year-old victim, who was later identified as a FortisAlberta employee, had both been shot during an attempted robbery by two, then unknown, individuals.
The suspects burnt the stolen vehicle they arrived at the scene in and stole one of the victim's Rocky View County pickup trucks.
Responding officers located the suspects in the Rocky View County pickup truck and engaged in a pursuit; however, the suspects successfully avoided police. Soon after, using the Rocky View County pickup truck's onboard GPS, police were able to locate the truck abandoned in a field near Range Road 252 and Township Road 260.
Police said that because they had very limited and vague descriptions of the suspects then, they did not want to release vague or potentially inaccurate information about them to the public.
"After conducting a thorough search, RCMP were satisfied that the suspects could no longer be in the area and the immediate risk to residents had subsided."
The shelter-in-place was lifted. Sometime later, police learned that during an unrelated incident, the suspects were involved in a minor collision in Calgary in which the stolen vehicle they were driving was partially disabled.
"They then drove to where the shooting victims were working and attempted to steal a new vehicle. It was at this time both victims were shot."
August 8: RCMP determined that 35-year-old Penner, a resident of Edmonton, was one of the suspects.
"Immediate actions were taken to set up surveillance on the 35-year-old individual and liaise with Alberta Crown Prosecutors to obtain charge approvals. Once the approval was received, RCMP, with assistance from Edmonton Police Service, safely arrested the 35-year-old individual in Edmonton."
August 11: Police identified Elijah Strawberry as the second suspect in this incident. Strawberry had successfully evaded capture for over a month.
August 16: Mounties announced a $2,000 reward for any successful tip that led to Strawberry's arrest. The reward was offered in partnership with Crime Stoppers.
August 23: The RCMP authorized a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to Strawberry's arrest.
September 6: Mounties released updated photos of Strawberry, with a message from Alberta RCMP Chief Superintendent Roberta Mckale, who directed her comments to Strawberry, saying that police would continue to look for him.
The news of Hough's death shocked both Rocky View County and Airdrie. A GoFundMe campaign set up in Hough's memory amassed nearly $100,000. Hough was described as a 'beloved father, husband, son, colleague and friend who never hesitated to help anyone.'
However, Mounties underlined that despite the arrests of Arthur Penner and Elijah Strawberry, the investigation into this matter continues. The RCMP asks anyone with information about these crimes to come forward.