Airdrie Rural RCMP is investigating an armed robbery May 20 near Crossfield. Members were called to the scene at approximately 2 p.m., according to Constable Matt Gervais.
“We received a 911 call. Members had Police Dog Services (PDS) attend and conducted a search to see where the suspect came from. They located clothing and then a sketch artist was brought in to comprise a sketch of the suspect,” he said.
According to Gervais, the suspect entered an oil lease site on foot and demanded two employees hand over the keys to a vehicle. When the employees refused, he produced a handgun and shot one round into the air. He then fled in the vehicle – a white Toyota Sequoia SUV.
The vehicle was located a short time later north of Airdrie with the help of the Calgary Police Services HAWCS helicopter.
“The vehicle that we located was a suspect vehicle for an earlier incident up in Didsbury,” Gervais said.
A sweater recovered from the scene may belong to the suspect.
“No one ever saw him with it but the track from the PDS dog brought (RCMP) to that sweater,” Gervais said.
Gervais said RCMP is hoping someone can identify the individual from the sketch and call the detachment.
The suspect is described as having a darker complexion and is approximately 5’10” tall with a lean build and wide shoulders. He is between 25 and 35 years of age with dark hair and dark eyes and was wearing a baseball cap.
A fire at the Whispering Spruce campground in Balzac May 21 has been deemed to not be suspicious in nature, according to RCMP Spokesperson Corporal Laurel Scott. The body of a man was found inside a recreational vehicle (RV) that was fully engulfed in flames.
“I can’t tell you specifically what led us to believe (the fire) was not criminal except to say our major crime investigators as well as the fire investigators were there and through their investigation and what they looked at, it was determined it was not suspicious,” Scott said.
RCMP and crews from the Rocky View County Fire Services were called to the campground at approximately 4:55 a.m. When they arrived, they found the RV fully engulfed in flames. Once the fire was extinguished, the body of a 60-year-old man was found inside.
“There were gaps around (the RV) so no other trailers were close to it,” Scott said in explaining the RV was the only structure affected by the fire.
The name of the victim will not be released, according to Scott, for privacy reasons.
If you have any information about any crime, contact the Airdrie RCMP Detachment at (403) 945-7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at tipsubmit.com
