‘Lucky’ encounter in B.C. ditch helped police arrest 2 suspects in Calgary homicide | CBC News
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Calgary police say a “lucky” encounter in a rural B.C. ditch helped bring in two men wanted in a December homicide, who, along with a teen, now face first-degree murder charges.
Police are still looking for a fourth suspect in the killing of 32-year-old Feysal Osman Abdul-Aziz in Calgary.
“We were on a manhunt for those individuals with warrants for their arrest, notifications out to police agencies to locate them, so it was only a matter of time,” said Staff Sgt Mark Rahn.
“But finding them in a ditch where they had no cell service was definitely fortuitous.”
B.C. RCMP found the two wanted men on March 12 after their vehicle had gone off the road during a snowstorm near Blue River, about 230 kilometres northeast of Kamloops, Rahn said.
The two men, Aken Bolakok Aken, 23, and Ayomide Opemipo Adeyinka, 21, had been previously brought into police custody for questioning the night of Aziz’s death, but were released.
“As you can appreciate, the burden of evidence for charges related to murder is very, very high,” Rahn said, when asked to explain the suspects’ earlier release.
“In a rapidly unfolding investigation, we have a lot of information that comes in at the start and we are obligated to look at all the information that’s come in.”
Aziz shot and killed in December
Just after midnight on Dec. 10, police found Aziz dead outside of his vehicle in the southeast Calgary community of Ogden. Rahn says it was a targeted killing.
Shortly after that, Tsuut’ina Nation police attempted to stop a vehicle driving in their territory.
Four people fled the vehicle on foot. Police apprehended three of them, but could not find the fourth.
Two of those men were Aken and Adeyinka, who were both released. Rahn said they remained persons of interest, as police worked to gather the evidence needed to build their case.
The third person taken in for questioning that night was a 17-year-old. Police have held him in custody since December. Because he is a youth, he cannot be named.
The two adult suspects and teen now both now face a charge of first-degree murder, and a charge of conspiracy to commit murder. Aken and Adeyinka, both of Edmonton, and will appear in court March 26.
Police are still looking for the fourth suspect, 22-year-old Yahya Abdullahi. He’s now wanted on Canada-wide warrants for murder.
Police say he is five foot nine inches and has dark skin, black hair and brown eyes.
Rahn said Abdullahi could be in Edmonton, the B.C. Lower Mainland or the Northwest Territories, and asks anyone who might see him or know where he is to contact their local police.