1st degree murder charges have been filed in the 2015 shooting homicide of Tyler David McDermid, almost a year after the 20 year old was shot and killed at a Conklin residence on August 11, 2015. 21 year old Trevor Powder has been arrested and was charged with 1st degree murder. Police allege that Powder shot McDermid although there is no motive that has been given for the shooting yet. Powder will have his first appearance in court on July 25, 2016, when he will appear through closed circuit tv in Fort McMurray. When Powder was arrested a news release revealed that a number of departments had worked on the case and assisted the Wood Buffalo RCMP, including the Edmonton Major Crime unit and the National Firearms section in Ottawa.
Tyler David McDermid was not the first 2015 shooting homicide in the region or the last. Until the wildfire evacuation earlier this year the rate of shootings was on the rise, and many were calling for additional steps to curb the violence. Crime seems to be down, but with more residents returning to Fort McMurray every day this trend may not continue in the future. As people come back to the area to work in the oil company camps the drugs and violence could start to go up once more. Residents need to be alert and aware, keeping an eye on their communities and contacting the police when they see something suspicious or when they have knowledge of a crime that has been committed.
