Calgary trial underway in death of worker shot after offering roadside help - BERITAJA

Colin Hough was successful his work truck one summertime time when, hoping to lend a hand, he pulled up to a burning conveyance connected the broadside of a agrarian roadworthy and was shot to death, tribunal heard Monday.

Hough was the 2nd person to be randomly fired upon astatine that spot, eastbound of Calgary, connected Aug. 6, 2024, Crown charismatic Photini Papadatou told jurors connected the opening time of the trial of Arthur Penner and Blake Strawberry.

The connection is not grounds but an outline of what the Crown hopes to prove successful the Court of King’s Bench trial, which is scheduled to last a month.

Minutes earlier that fateful day, Papadatou told court, Matthew Andres was doing surveying activity — his energy company truck parked roadside — erstwhile he heard different conveyance thrust up pinch what sounded for illustration a level tire.

“An individual emerged from that vehicle,” Papadatou said. He shot Andres successful the limb and demanded his truck keys, past walked backmost and distant pointing the weapon astatine his head.

“(Andres) will show you he feared for his life and that he fled to escape.

“He ran arsenic acold and arsenic accelerated arsenic he could arsenic soon arsenic he could, but he did not get very far. He threw himself into a field. He will frankly show you he was trying to hide.”

As he hid, the 2 strangers group fire to their own truck, which had been stolen in Calgary the time before. But they couldn’t time off successful Andres’ conveyance arsenic it became stuck.

Another conveyance was needed.

In the distance, Andres could spot the 45-year-old Hough, successful his Rocky View County truck, approaching. He had nary way to warn him.

Hough, said Papadatou, was shot three times. Video footage from a adjacent semi-trailer driver captured his last minutes.

“His camera recorded a fig moving crossed the intersection and collapsing astatine that intersection successful the mediate of the road,” she said.

The Crown says a .45-calibre slug was recovered wherever Hough had collapsed and a 9-mm ammunition casing recovered adjacent wherever Andres was hit.

Houghs’ conveyance was later recovered abandoned. Penner, 37, was arrested 5 days later and Strawberry, 29, was found after a period hiding successful a residence connected the O’Chiese First Nation.

Andres is expected to testify Tuesday.

Penner and Strawberry are charged pinch second-degree execution and attempted murder. Earlier Monday they entered pleas of not guilty.

The assemblage was sworn successful and addressed by the judge.

“You are the judges of the facts,” Justice Shane Parker urged them. “Use your communal consciousness and experience.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. As the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover.”

This study by BERITAJA was first published May 4, 2026.