Rural Albertan, alleged burglar charged after shots fired near Okotoks

Both an Alberta man accused of firing gunshots and analleged burglar at the centre of an altercation south of Calgary on the weekend are facing charges.

Police were called to the property near Okotoks, Alta., about 5 a.m. Saturday whena number of shots were fired afterthehomeownersaw someonerummaging through his vehicles

Two people fled the scene but one suspectsuffering an arm injurywas located soon after.

• Alberta RCMP say shooting happened when rural homeowner confronted suspects

On Monday, police said in a release that homeownerEdouard Mauricenow faces charges of aggravated assault, pointing a firearm and careless use of a firearm.

Maurice was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court again March 9.

Police say Ryan Watson, the injured man, was arrested upon being released from hospital Sunday and is facing several charges:

• Trespassing by night.
• Mischief to property.
• Theft under $5,000 from motor vehicle.
• Possession of methamphetamine.
• Two counts of failure to comply with probation.

Police are still looking for a second suspect in the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call Okotoks RCMP at 403-995-6400or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Okotoks is about 50 kilometres south of Calgary.

Crime spike seen in rural Alberta

Rural property crime is a growing issueacross the Prairies.

Last fall, Alberta'sOpposition called for an emergency debate in the legislature to deal with rural crime.The subject also came up following this month's acquittal of a Saskatchewan farmer in the shooting death of an Indigenous man on his property.

• What happened on Gerald Stanley's farm the day Colten Boushie was shot, as told by witnesses

But police are urging people not to pursue or engage with suspicious individuals and to instead immediately report incidents.

"We encourage property owners to not attempt to pursue or subdue any suspects, with the main reason, public safety. We don't want to see people getting hurt," Sgt. Shawn French said Sunday.

"We're trained to handle these situations. We do treat them as priority calls and we try to get there in as most expeditious manner as possible."

• New RCMP unit targets repeat offenders in rural areas around Calgary