‘Told to shoot:’ Trial begins for Alberta youth in shooting of German tourist
CALGARY — There was conflicting testimony in court Monday about whether a youth charged in the shooting of a German tourist on an Alberta highway may have acted on his own or was ordered to fire the gun.
The youth from the Stoney Nakoda First Nation was 16 when he was charged last August after 60-year-old Horst Stewin was shot in the left side of the head by someone in a passing car west of Calgary. Stewin was driving a black SUV with members of his family.
The teen, who cannot be named, is on trial for aggravated assault and discharging a firearm with intent to injure. A number of other charges, including attempted murder, were withdrawn.
The Crown said in its opening statement that Stewin was airlifted to hospital after being shot with a .22-calibre rifle and later transferred back to Germany for further surgery. Prosecutor Dane Rolfe said eight bullet fragments were removed from Stewin’s brain.