Police have ruled out a man and a vehicle in their investigation of the shooting of a German tourist on Highway 1A near Morley in early August.
The victim, a 60-year-old man, has now been flown back home, but doctors say he has a long road to recovery ahead of him.
The man was driving with members of his family near Morley when another driver pulled up alongside their vehicle and suddenly opened fire.
Police say he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a ditch shortly after the shooting . The three other people with him suffered minor injuries in the crash.
The man was struck in the head and the bullet was lodged so close to his brain that doctors would not be able to remove it for fear of causing further injury.
Before leaving hospital in Calgary, the man was unable to talk or move on his right side.
A day after the incident, RCMP arrested an individual believed to be connected, but released him the next day without charge.
A black, four-door Chrysler Sebring was seized at the same time and has undergone forensic testing. RCMP have now ruled out the vehicle's involvement in the case.
Corporal Curtis Peters says that they are still looking for a dark-coloured, older model sedan.
"We don't have a definitive description of the person who fired the round or who was driving the vehicle."
He also says that there is a possibilty that the shot could have come from a passenger in the car because it was fired from the passenger side as both vehicles were eastbound on Highway 1A. Investigators are fairly certain there was more than one person in the car at the time but aren't sure who fired the shot.
Peters says the suspect could be facing a charge of attempted murder.
RCMP have not ruled out road rage as a possible motive in the shooting but investigators are also exploring the possibility of mistaken identity.
"Without a doubt, the shot was intentionally fired, but we are not sure that [the German tourist] was the intended target."
Curtis says that it is always important to get to the bottom of a case no matter who the victim is.
"Anybody who is a victim of a crime like this deserves to have a full investigation, deserves to have justice served. That's what we're here for. We appreciate the international interest on it. We all know that Canada is a beautiful place to visit and we hate to see people who are guests in our country to have ill things happen to them."
Prior to leaving the country, the man’s wife says she and her family are extremely grateful for the support of police and medical staff.
The victim is now being treated at a German hospital specializing in brain injuries.
Police have also released a pair of images; a map of the shooting and a composite image of the victim's vehicle that they hope will help gather more information in the case.
"We want to encourage anyone who may have had contact with this vehicle or who may have seen this vehicle either on Highway 1A or at the Nakoda Lodge or on Branch Road, to please contact investigators."
