Mounties say the remaining suspect being sought in a deadly roadside shooting near Calgary is believed to still be in the province and now a reward is being offered.
Strathmore RCMP say they don’t believe Elijah Blake Strawberry has fled to another province.
“The information that our investigational teams have and they’re operating on is he is in Alberta,” RCMP Staff Sgt. Mark Wielgosz told reporters Friday.
“We don’t want to alert him to what we may or may not know in the investigation.
“We don’t want Mr. Strawberry to potentially flee to other areas putting our investigation behind him.”
The Alberta RCMP, in partnership with Crime Stoppers, said any successful tip that leads to the arrest of Strawberry is now eligible for a $2,000 reward.
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A warrant has been issued for Strawberry’s arrest on a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Colin Hough and a charge of attempted murder of another man who worked for Fortis Alberta.
The two were on the job when they were shot on a country road east of Calgary on Aug 6. Hough worked for Rocky View County and the suspects fled in the county truck.
With help from Edmonton police, Mounties later arrested 35-year-old Arthur Wayne Penner in that city and charged him with first-degree murder in the death of Hough, from Airdrie, along with attempted murder of the second worker.
Penner made his first court appearance on Thursday and will be back before a judge Tuesday.
Strawberry, 28, is described as six feet one inch tall, weighing 169 pounds with brown hair, a light complexion, and several arm and face tattoos. Police say he is considered armed and dangerous.
“It goes without saying there’s going to be a heightened state of vigilance whenever they may encounter Mr. Strawberry,” said Wielgosz.
“The safety of our officers are a concern, but all major measures are taken to ensure their safety and to ensure we employ the appropriate tactics and methods to bring this to a safe conclusion.”
Police believe the shooting was motivated solely by robbery.
They say the vehicle the suspects drove had been disabled, leading them to the area where both victims were shot.
Anyone with any information, no matter how minor it may seem, is urged to come forward.
People can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.tipsubmit.com, or by SMS (www.crimestoppers.ab.ca for instructions).
You do not have to reveal your identity. RCMP said Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display and the identity of the caller will remain anonymous.
People can also still provide information by calling Strathmore RCMP at 403-934-3535.