Tag: RCMP

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Ft Mac

Downtown Fort MacMurray Robbery Still Under Investigation by RCMP, Suspect Sought

downtown Fort MacMurray, robbery, RCMP

A downtown Fort MacMurray robbery is still under investigation by the RCMP and a suspect is being sought. Last Wednesday the Wood Buffalo RCMP received a complaint of a robbery in the downtown area at approximately 3:45 pm, and the bank was the downtown branch of the Royal Bank of Canada. The police report that a male approached two other males who were engaged in a business deposit, and the robbery suspect incapacitated both of the males with a weapon. The single robber took off with a bag which contained an amount of cash that has not been specified, and then the robber fled the area. Both of the males who were robbed were taken to Northern Lights Regional Health Centre for treatment and then released.

The robbery in downtown Fort MacMurray has the RCMP looking for the suspect and asking the public and local community to help. The description of the suspect is a male who is between 6 foot 1 inch and 6 foot two inches tall, he has a slender build, and he was wearing a gray winter jacket that included a hood lined with white fur and a dark pair of pants. The police stated that the weapon was not a firearm but have refused to give further details. Cpl. George Cameron of the RCMP said “We’re trying to protect the integrity of our investigation. We try to release as much as we can, we’ve got to balance stuff too. A lot of it boils down to … the preservation of evidence.”

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Alberta Breaking News

RCMP Makes Arrests in Lac La Biche Attempted Murder

Lac La Biche, attempted murder, RCMP

An attempted murder in Lac La Biche has led to the RCMP arresting two individuals in connection with the crime. The incident involved occurred on Friday close to Plamondon, Alta. The Lac La Biche RCMP reported that the crime happened at around 1:30 am Friday when a man was shot and wounded during an argument that occurred alongside the road. The small community is situated around 3 hours north of Fort MacMurray. RCMP Sgt. Henry Van Dorland “Two males approached another male in their vehicles, they were side-by-side basically. A bit of an argument ensued and there was a gun shot at the victim. The victim sustained injuries to the head.” The victim was a male from Plamondon estimated to be around 50 years old, was taken from the scene to the University of Alberta hospital for surgical removal of pellets from his head.

The Lac La Biche RCMP said that two shots were fired during the incident, and two men have been arrested on charges of attempted murder as a result of the police investigation. 24 year old William Conrad Ingram has been charged with attempted murder with a firearm, careless use of a firearm, and unauthorized possession of a firearm. 20 year old Markian G. Kuznetsov has been charged with one count of attempted murder with a firearm and breach of condition charges. So far the reason for the argument that led to the shooting has not been determined by law enforcement. Van Dorland stated “That part of the investigation is still ongoing. We don’t know if it was a party gone sour, or if there was drugs involved or if it was over somebody’s wife or anything of this nature at this time.”

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Ft Mac

Fatal 881 Collision Still Under RCMP Investigation

fatal 881 collision, RCMP

The fatal 881 collision last week is still under investigation by the RCMP. The pickup truck driver involved was pronounced dead at the scene, and the specific cause of the head on collision that occurred late at night is still not clear. The accident involved a semi hauling a wide load, and one of the point vehicles for the wide load contacted the RCMP when the fatal 881 collision occurred. No cause has been identified yet according to RCMP Cpl. George Cameron, who said “They still haven’t come to a 100% decision on what caused it yet, but they’re still working on it. What they do in the traffic unit is, when they get to a fatality, the (possible) causes, they’ll write down … and then as they investigate, they can cross them off and say, okay, we know it wasn’t this.”

The most recent fatal 881 collision being investigated by the RCMP has caused an angry reaction by some in the local community who do not think wide loads should be allowed to use the highway late at night. A Facebook page comment by Eric Lemay read “Why are wide loads allowed to move overnight on a highway that is nothing more (than) country road?. 881 is not wide enough, has no shoulders and no passing lanes. Wide load permits should only be issued between sunrise and sunset.” According to Christine Way, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation, “They’ve asked that wide load or oversized loads only occur after midnight … or not during hours when school buses are in operation. It really does depend on the size. There are no standards, because it really does depend on how big or wide or long the load is. Some loads require pilot vehicles, some require flashing lights. It also depends on the route that they’re traveling … Some loads will only be permitted to travel at night or at off-peak hours.”

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Ft Mac Politics

Officer in Charge at RCMP Switches to RMWB Position

RCMP, RMWB, Bob Couture

Bob Couture, the former RCMP officer in charge, left his position with the law enforcement agency on January 23 in order to take the position of Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Executive Director of Community and Protective Services. According to RCMP Cpl. George Cameron “He was a fabulous leader here at the detachment, He was well-liked, a very knowledgeable man, and certainly knew his stuff and very well respected. We just wish him all the best in his new endeavours.” RCMP Insp. Rob McCloy, who was previously the operations support officer for the detachment, will be the acting officer in charge until a replacement for Couture can be located. In the past McCloy has taken on these duties when Couture was away so it is nothing new for the inspector.

According to RCMP Cpl. George Cameron replacing Couture after the superintendent’s switch from the RCMP to the RMWB could take some time or it could happen very fast. “It’s like any other position in the RCMP, it gets posted. There’s no specific timeline, it could be quick, it could take months or even longer. I would just be speculating. (The OIC is) the leader of the detachment and ensures that each unit, each watch, each different section is running as smoothly as possible,” When asked about taking on the new duties Insp McCloy said “It’s fine,. “I’ve done the job before, so it’s nothing new for me. I look forward to the challenge. He made the choice that this was the right time for him to move on to other opportunities, and I congratulate him. I enjoyed working with him, he was a very experienced police officer.”

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Alberta Ft Mac

RCMP Arrest Fatal Hit and Run Suspect in Camp North of Fort MacMurray

RCMP, criminal charges, fatal hit and run

A man facing numerous criminal charges, including some for a fatal hit and run in Ontario and others for crimes in Edmonton, was arrested at a camp North of Fort MacMurray by the RCMP. 25 year old Abdullahi Mohamoud was living in one of the oilsands camp, and another camp tenant recognized the wanted man from earlier articles in the news which included a photo of the suspect and alerted local authorities. Cst. Ashley Quallie, the Wood Buffalo RCMP spokesperson, said “When we learned that information from the individual who recognized him, we executed the Canada-wide warrants and arrested him. He has used aliases over the years, but we don’t know if he was using one while here.”

Part of the criminal charges against Abdullahi Mohamoud stemmed from a fatal hit and run in 2011. According to police Mohamoud put $75 in gas in his car on May 19, 2011, and then drove off without paying. The attendant at the station, 62 year old Hashem Atifeh Rad, chased after Mohamoud and grabbed the vehicle door handle. Rad was dragged along the vehicle for several meters before falling and hitting his head on the pavement. The next day the gas station attendant died in the hospital from his injuries. Mohamoud was also wanted for charges in Edmonton which include sexual assault, unauthorized possession of a firearm, sexual interference, uttering threats, permit escape, failure to comply with conditions of release and failure to appear in court. Police consider Abdullahi Mohamoud to be a violent criminal who is an escape risk.

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Uncategorized

Edmonton Police Chief Terrorism Comments Rejected by RCMP

RCMP, Edmonton police chief, terrorism
RCMP, Edmonton police chief, terrorism

Recent Edmonton police chief terrorism comments have been rejected by the RCMP. The comments made were about the oil industry and the city of Fort MacMurray harboring jihadist sympathizers. In a National Post interview with Edmonton Chief Rod Knecht the commander told the media that the northern Alberta region is a common stopping place by Canadians who need money, and these individuals leave the area and join extremists groups in other countries. Knect stated “You can go up to Fort McMurray … you’re relatively anonymous, you’re in one of those work camps and you can make a hockey sack of money in a very, very short period of time. You can make a whole bunch of money in a very short period of time if that’s what you want to do, and you can do it in relative anonymity.”

In response to the terrorism comments from the Edmonton police chief a response was given by RCMP Cpl. Sharon Franks, who said “The Key issue of radicalization is not centred around a location, local economy or other geographic concern. Rather, it lies with identifying those persons, wherever they may choose to live or work, who may be vulnerable to being radicalized for a specific purpose. There is no indication that Fort McMurray is more at risk than any other community in Alberta, or the country for national security concerns. The RCMP is concerned by any terror related activity that is a direct threat to Canada as a country. We take any threat to the security of Canadians and their livelihood very seriously.”