During a court appearance on Oct. 25, murder suspect Elijah Blake Strawberry, was granted a one-day bail hearing on Dec. 19 in the hopes of spending the holidays at home.
Strawberry, who is being charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder in relation to a deadly shooting that took place in Rocky View County on Aug. 6, appeared remotely via video link in Calgary Court of King's Bench. His defence lawyer asked for the bail hearing to determine if Strawberry is a suitable candidate for release prior to his trial.
The shooting took the life of Airdrie resident Colin Hough and injured another person. Hough, an Airdrie resident, was a father of two young sons.
A manhunt followed the shooting in search of the two suspects, which resulted in the arrest of 35-year-old Arthur Wayne Penner shortly after, and 28-year-old Elijah Blake Strawberry over a month later. Strawberry was arrested at a residence in O’Chiese First Nation.
Penner was arrested in August with the help of Edmonton police and initially charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder. The allegation was later downgraded by the prosecution to second-degree murder.
Both suspects appeared in Court of Justice on Oct. 24. Penner appears to still be without a lawyer and his delay in finding representation through Legal Aid has delayed the setting of a preliminary inquiry, according to local reports.
Both men currently remain in custody.
Details of the Aug. 6 shooting
Penner and Strawberry were involved in a minor collision in Calgary prior to the Aug. 6 shooting, where the stolen vehicle they were driving was partially disabled, according to police. After driving into Rocky View County, they burnt the vehicle.
The police reported that Hough and the other shooting victim saw the fire and pulled over to ask if they needed help. It was at this time both victims were shot.
Upon arriving on scene, emergency crews discovered that Hough, a Rocky View County (RVC) employee, and a 39-year-old FortisAlberta employee had both been shot as the two suspects stole Hough’s RVC pick-up truck.
The suspects were successful in evading police after they were engaged in a pursuit. The truck was found abandoned in a field in Wheatland County.
On Aug. 8, RCMP determined that Penner was one of the suspects, who was later arrested in Edmonton. On Aug. 11, police identified Strawberry as the second suspect in this incident, followed by an investigation that led to his arrest on Sept. 13.
RVC announced they would support Hough's family during this difficult time by matching donations made to the GoFundMe page created in his honour: Fundraiser in Memory of Colin Hough. According to Fortis, their employee was treated for their injury and was released from the hospital the following evening.