Mounties have captured a fugitive wanted for murder and on the run since early August, and it happened while they were working another case.
Elijah Blake Strawberry was arrested on Friday afternoon, at a residence on the O’Chiese First Nation.
The 28-year-old was arrested “successfully and safely,” RCMP say.
“Following an intense search and multiple pleas for information, on Sept. 13, 2024, today, just after 1 p.m., members of the Alberta RCMP major crimes unit successfully and safely arrested 28-year-old Elijah Blake Strawberry at a residence in O’Chiese First Nation,” said Chief Superintendent Roberta Mckale.
On Aug. 6, police say Colin Hough, of Airdrie, was shot and killed by Strawberry and another man, 35-year-old Arthur Wayne Penner.
Police say Hough had stopped to help them, believing they were in trouble when their truck was on fire along a rural road just east of Calgary.
The pair also shot and injured a Fortis Alberta employee after the killing.
Penner was arrested with the assistance of the Edmonton Police Service, but Strawberry remained at large.
RCMP received a lot of tips, said Mckale, but in the end, none of those were what led to his capture.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation, at a residence on another matter – the major crimes unit was there working another file – and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” said Mckale.
Strawberry will appear before a Justice of the Peace, “to determine his release status and a future court date,” said Mckale.