Related
Internal Links
A central Alberta man has been charged in the death of a teen who was killed when a pen-like device used to scare off bears went off in a truck and struck him with a bullet.
Tanner Mayer, 15, and his friend were sitting in the parked truck outside a home in Rocky Mountain House on Sept. 7 when the friend found the device on the floor of the vehicle.
The device discharged and a bullet struck Mayer at close range. He died later in hospital.
"The autopsy revealed that what was discharged from that was a .22-calibre bullet," said RCMP Sgt. Chris Matechuk.
The device, known as a bear banger, is commonly used to fire a signal flare and create a loud bang to scare off bears, but it was somehow modified to carry a bullet.
The friend's father, James Alexander Rose, 41, has been charged with criminal negligence causing death, manufacture of a prohibited device, and careless use of a prohibited device, RCMP said Friday.
Mayer's death was hard on his high school friends and the town of about 7,000 people, about 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary.
"Tanner and the friend were close friends, known by everybody in the community," said Matechuk.
With files from Andree LauShare Tools
Latest Calgary News Headlines
- Alberta radar running again after breakdown
- Predicting severe weather patterns is still presenting a challenge for local weather watchers after four Environment Canada Doppler radars stopped working properly this week. more »
- Inquiry rules on death of troubled Alberta teen
- A fatality inquiry into the death of a mentally troubled Alberta teenager is recommending hospitals tighten rules on all outings for psychiatric patients. more »
- Alberta readies 60 new ambulances for service
- Around 60 new ambulances will soon be whizzing across the province thanks to a large purchase by Alberta Health Services. more »
- Suspicious death in S.E. investigated
- A man was found dead in southeast Calgary early Friday morning in what police are calling suspicious circumstances. more »
Top News Headlines
- Dozens of children die in Syria massacre, activists say
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, activists say, and as many as half the victims may have been children. more »
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- Severe storm in Quebec leaves damage in its wake
- Trees were uprooted, roofs damaged and windows shattered as severe thunderstorms, and possibly a tornado, rattled through southwestern Quebec Friday night. more »
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest
- The deaths of five climbers last weekend on Mt. Everest, with more summits underway this weekend, fuels the debate about the risks and responsibilities of high altitude climbing. more »
- Former MLA questions need for Alberta Party
- Inquiry rules on death of troubled Alberta teen
- Alberta radar running again after breakdown
- Police couldn’t stop double fatal crash, judge says
- Alberta readies 60 new ambulances for service
- Suspicious death in S.E. investigated
- TEDxYYC brings passionate speakers to Calgary today
- Calgary woman who killed mother gets 5 years
- Beltline attack leaves man critically injured
