Photo of suspicious vehicle released as search continues for suspects in 'senseless' rural shooting (2024)

Nearly 24 hours after a fatal shooting in a rural area east of Calgary, an employee of Rocky View County has been identified as the victim while the suspects remain at large.

A FortisAlberta Inc. employee was also shot Tuesday in an incident that triggered a three-hour shelter-in-place alert, the utility company confirmed Wednesday.

Strathmore RCMP are still on the hunt for two suspects believed to have fled in a white pickup truck, which was a Rocky View County fleet vehicle, according to the detachment’s most recent update published Tuesday evening.

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RCMP officials have released a description of a vehicle believed to be connected to the suspects.

Staff Sgt. Mark Wielgosz describes the vehicle as a white 2013 Dodge Ram with teal aftermarket rims and bullet shell-shaped lug nuts.

The vehicle was stolen from Calgary from the 400 block of Abadan Place N.E. at approximately 5:55 a.m. on Monday, and officials are hoping for information regarding anyone who may have been using this vehicle between the time of the theft and the shooting.

Police are seeking video footage of this vehicle or physical descriptors of the vehicle’s occupants in an effort to identify the suspects.

Wielgosz did not say how the vehicle is connected to the investigation, but emphasized the importance of identifying its occupants from the time it was stolen up until the commencement of the investigation.

In a posting to its website, Rocky View County said employee Colin Hough died following an incident earlier that day. Rocky View County confirmed to Postmedia on Wednesday that Hough’s death was related to the shooting.

“This tragic and senseless act has deeply affected us all,” Byron Riemann, the county’s chief administrative officer, wrote in a statement.

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

A GoFundMe for Hough’s family had raised more than $12,000 by mid-afternoon on Wednesday afternoon. Hough was married with two small children.

Regarding the other victim of the shooting, the FortisAlberta employee was shot “while performing routine work,” the company wrote in a statement to Postmedia. He was treated for his injury and released from hospital on Tuesday evening.

“The safety of our employees and the public is always our top priority and this situation has been deeply concerning for us at FortisAlberta. We are grateful that our employee is recovering and we are providing any support he, his family and his colleagues need at this time,” wrote spokesperson Peter Brodsky.

Strathmore RCMP were first alerted just before noon on Tuesday after receiving reports of a shooting at Range Road 282 and Township Road 250 in Rocky View County — an intersection about two kilometres north of Chestermere and east of Calgary.

When they arrived, police found two individuals who had been shot.

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After the shooting, the suspects fled in a stolen Rocky View County work truck and abandoned it at Range Road 260 and Township Road 252, several dozen kilometres northwest of the shooting, just north of Strathmore. Wielgosz said a vehicle was disposed of and burned at the initial location.

The suspects have been described by RCMP as “armed and extremely dangerous.”

As searches of the area were conducted alongside various RCMP detachments and assistance from the Calgary Police Service, RCMP initiated a shelter-in-place order just after 1 p.m. and lifted it at about 4:30 p.m. after determining the suspects were no longer in the area.

Wielgosz said he does not have any information regarding suspect descriptions. He said once that information becomes available, it will be provided to the public.

Officers are asking anyone with dashcam footage of the shooting location between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday to contact police.

— With files from Mackenzie Rhode

mscace@postmedia.com
X: @mattscace67

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