Alberta RCMP charge 16-year-old with attempted murder in German tourist shooting

AIRDRIE, Alta. – A 16-year-old youth has been charged in a southern Alberta highway shooting that left a German tourist with a serious brain injury.

RCMP Cpl. Curtis Peters said the teen, who is from the Stoney Nakoda First Nation but can't be named because of his age, is facing 14 charges, including attempted murder and possession of a prohibited firearm.

"Investigators have located and seized the vehicle and the firearm which are both believed to have been involved in this offence," Peters said Tuesday.

Police wouldn't discuss a possible motive and would only say that they don't believe there was any conflict prior to the single shot being fired.

The 60-year-old tourist was driving in a black Dodge Durango with his family near Morley, Alta., on Aug. 2, when the shooting happened.

Police have said the suspect vehicle was passing the Durango when a shot was fired from the passenger window and into the tourist's SUV.

The Durango crashed into the ditch after the shooting near the Goodstoney Rodeo Centre on Stoney Nakoda land. Three family members who were passengers weren't seriously injured.

The driver survived, but police said he has a long road to recovery.

The injured man was flown back to Germany where surgeons removed the bullet.

"That bullet will be sent here to Canada where it will undergo forensic testing to compare it to the firearm which has been recovered," Peters said.

The German consulate has said the man can't talk or move his right side as a result of the injury. He has a lot of physiotherapy and rehabilitation ahead of him to regain some quality of life, Peters said.

"This has been a life-changing event for him."

Although Peters said there were others in the car with the accused, no other charges are pending and police are not searching for any other suspects.

"We believe this was an isolated incident."

The accused was scheduled to appear in provincial court in Cochrane, Alta., on Tuesday.