N.S. man faces 1st-degree murder charge after hit-and-run prompts emergency alert

A Nova Scotia man who was the subject of an emergency alert is facing a first-degree murder charge after a woman was killed in a hit-and-run Monday afternoon.

In a release Tuesday, the Nova Scotia RCMP said police responded to a hit-and-run on Shrewsbury Road in Cole Harbour around 3:20 p.m.

“RCMP officers learned that a Good Samaritan was rendering assistance to a woman that was being held against her will in a Mercedes. The vehicle was located at a nearby residence and was occupied by a man known to the victim,” the release said.

“While the Good Samaritan intervened, they were knocked to the ground along with the woman that was being held against her will. The man then proceeded to intentionally strike the woman with the vehicle before fleeing the scene.”

Two off-duty police officers at a nearby home ran to the scene and provided First Aid to the two women, who were both transported to hospital.

The 30-year-old woman who was being held against her will later died from her injuries, while the Good Samaritan, a 47-year-old woman from Cole Harbour, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the RCMP say.

Police put out social media posts advising the public to be on the lookout for the suspect and his vehicle, and an emergency alert was issued around 5:45 p.m.

The suspect was arrested around 6 p.m. At the time, he was on foot near Highway 7 and Lake Major Road in Westphal.

Police say the vehicle has since been located and the investigation continues.

RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said charges of first-degree murder, assault with a weapon, and four counts of failure to comply with a release order are expected to be sworn in Tuesday. The suspect is expected to appear in Dartmouth Provincial Court Wednesday.

“Certainly, our thoughts are with the victim’s family, the community. This is tragic. It’s a very brutal act,” said Cpl. Tremblay. “It’s a sad outcome for those involved in the community over there.”

Police are not naming the suspect as he has not yet been officially charged as of Tuesday afternoon, but he was identified in Monday’s alert as Aaron Daniel Crawley.

According to Nova Scotia’s Public Prosecution service, Crawley is also expected in court in January for election and/or plea for a number of unrelated charges with offence dates in May and June of this year, including dangerous operation, uttering threats, assault with a weapon, assault, mischief, and choking, suffocating or strangling.

He was also sentenced in 2013 for resisting/obstructing a peace officer, assault, and theft under $5,000.