Former Hatter charged with attempted murder in shooting incident
By RYAN MCCRACKEN on September 19, 2020.
mccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken A 25-year-old former Medicine Hat man has been charged with attempted murder in relation to shots fired into a local residence in the early hours of May 14. A Medicine Hat Police Service release states that the male – whose name was not released – is facing charges of attempted murder, discharge of a firearm with intent to endanger life, reckless discharge of a restricted firearm, unlicensed possession of a restricted firearm, careless use of a restricted firearm, possession of a firearm obtained by a criminal offence, possession of a prohibited device and possession and use of false identity documents. MHPS Major Crimes Unit Staff Sgt. Chad Holt says the months-long investigation reached its conclusion in partnership with Edmonton Police Service – where the arrest was made. Holt says authorities managed to track the suspect using information from financial transactions made in Edmonton. “That provided us with and verified a location,” said Holt. “We located him in Edmonton and had assistance from Edmonton police in further determining exactly where he was and surveilling him to make sure we had the right person and it wasn’t just somebody using the card. That’s basically how we located him from knowing he was at one point in Medicine Hat.” At around 4:45 a.m. on May 14, MHPS responded to a weapons complaint in the 200 block of Fourth Street SW. An investigation uncovered that a male fired several gunshots into the residence before immediately fleeing the area. No one was injured as a result of the shooting. While a K-9 unit was deployed and unable to locate the suspect at the time, Holt says MHPS still had a lead. “We knew who we were looking for,” said Holt. “The initial information we had was that it couldn’t have been him, that he wasn’t even in the province at the time. But then through further steps we were able to actually verify that he was here, and then that put the focus back on this fellow.” The accused is being held in custody in Edmonton and awaiting appearance before a Justice of the Peace in order to determine the eligibility of his release. “Because he was arrested there, he was processed and held there,” said Holt. MHPS also concluded there is no general public safety risk tied to the incident, as the residence was specifically targeted. 12-11
