Fleeing killer shot dead

Photo: The Canadian Press

Police have confirmed that a fleeing suspect who was shot dead by RCMP last month was the killer of a woman found in a Calgary backyard a few days earlier.

Investigators say they are no longer looking into the death of 22-year-old Nadia El-Dib.

They say Adam Bettahar and El-Dib had been seeing each other last year, but were no longer involved when they left a Calgary hookah bar together early on March 25.

She contacted a friend about an hour later to say Bettahar refused to take her to her parked vehicle.

Police say he instead drove El-Dib to a northeast neighbourhood and parked behind a home before stabbing her about 40 times and cutting her throat.

She was able to escape despite her injuries, but Bettahar shot her at least twice in the backyard — forensic evidence suggests she was already on the ground when she was shot the second time.

An RCMP officer spotted Bettahar five days later near the community of Evansburg, west of Edmonton, and gave chase because there was a Canada-wide warrant out for him.

Bettahar died in an exchange of gunfire with officers. An RCMP sergeant was injured.

He was released from hospital two days later.