Manhunt for Shooter in Fatal Shooting of County Employee in Rural Alberta Still Ongoing

The victim killed in a shooting east of Calgary earlier this week that prompted an hours-long shelter-in-place order for area residents was an employee of Rocky View County.

Strathmore RCMP officers responded to the intersection of Range Road 282 and Township Road 250, approximately 10 kilometres east of Calgary at noon on Aug. 6 where they found two gunshot victims, one dead and one with “superficial” gunshot wounds.

Rocky View County chief administrative officer Byron Riemann called Hough’s death a “tragic and senseless act” that has “deeply affected us all.”

“Colin was a valued member of our team, and we extend our deepest condolences to Colin’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time,” he said.

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Reeve Crystal Kissel said the community is “shocked and heartbroken” by Hough’s death.

“We will support Colin’s family and colleagues in any way we can as we stand together in grieving this loss,” she said.

“Colin was a beloved father, husband, son, colleague and friend who never hesitated to help anyone,” the page reads. “He leaves behind a beautiful family, including his wife and two small children who will need as much help as possible as they navigate this unimaginable and unexpected loss.”

The fundraiser was set up to help the family with funeral costs and “general expenses,” the page says.

The victim who survived the shooting was a Fortis Alberta employee, the utility company said in an emailed statement, which declined to give the employee’s name.

“While we are not at liberty to discuss the particulars of this event given that the incident remains under investigation, we can share that while performing routine work, one of our employees was shot and sustained an injury,” Fortis public affairs manager Peter Brodsky wrote.

“The employee was treated for the injury and released from the hospital later that evening. We are grateful that our employee is recovering and we are providing any support he, his family and his colleagues need at this time.”

The shootings are not believed to have been targeted, Strathmore RCMP Staff-Sgt. Mark Wielgosz said during an Aug. 7 evening press conference.

Vehicle of Interest

Alberta RCMP has identified a “vehicle of interest” that it believes is tied to the murder suspects.

“Investigators believe this truck is connected to this homicide investigation and are seeking public assistance to identify any video footage of this vehicle or the subjects who were in it, between the time of its theft up to the time the shooting occurred,” police said.

Wielgosz said police do not yet know if the suspects are male or female, but added that officers are combing through video footage in the hopes of identifying them.

“Our neighbouring detachments are exercising an extra heightened state of vigilance to ensure… we are identifying them as quickly as possible,” Wielgosz said.

The RCMP issued a shelter in place advisory shortly after 1 p.m., an hour after the shooting when it was discovered the suspects had fled the scene of the crime in a white half-ton pickup truck that was part of Rocky View County’s fleet.

The truck was traced to a secondary site roughly 12 kilometres north of Strathmore, prompting officers to initiate searches of nearby properties for the suspects.

The search turned up no sign of the suspects and the advisory was lifted not long after 4:30 p.m.

Wielgosz said the case is a priority for the RCMP and vowed officers would “leave no stone unturned to identify these subjects.”