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Murder of Brian King

SOLVED1978Idylwyld Drive and South Saskatchewan River, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On the afternoon of April 24, 1978, Gregory Fischer and Darrell Crook, both local high school students, were in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, dealing with an income tax form when they impulsively decided to kill a police officer, telling friends they intended to "get a cop." No one took the plan seriously, so no police agency was warned. To create a pretext for a traffic stop, the pair removed the licence plate from Fischer's 1964 Rambler and broke a tail light.

That evening, Constable Thomas Brian King, an RCMP officer on duty in Warman, Saskatchewan, and Saskatoon RCMP Constable Doug Rushlow were both patrolling in cruisers along Idylwyld Drive on the outskirts of Saskatoon, planning to team up for the remainder of their shift. Rushlow radioed King that he was about to pull over a vehicle; King, roughly a quarter-mile away, indicated he was also about to stop a car — Fischer's Rambler. As King approached the vehicle, Crook threw a beer bottle into a ditch, and when King got out to retrieve it, Fischer attacked him. During the ensuing struggle, Crook took King's revolver; despite King managing to eject three rounds from the cylinder, three remained. Crook fired one round into the air, and the two young men gained full control of the officer.

King was handcuffed behind his back and forced into the trunk of the Rambler. Fischer and Crook drove to several bars, showing King to acquaintances and describing their intentions while beating and tormenting him; those friends refused to get involved. The pair then drove to the Queen Elizabeth Power Station, where they took King down to the South Saskatchewan River and Fischer shot him twice in the head. King's body was mutilated and dumped in the river before the two returned to the city.

Meanwhile, Rushlow grew suspicious after clearing his own traffic stop and finding King's cruiser abandoned with its lights still flashing. Based on a vehicle description from Saskatoon Police K-9 officer Constable Glenn Thomson, who had passed King's stop earlier, police were alerted to watch for the Rambler. Saskatoon Police constables Jim Bracken and Rick Penny spotted a matching vehicle and gave chase; Bracken pursued Fischer on foot and tackled him in an alley near Avenue G and 21st Street. Officers noticed Fischer was covered in blood, and he then described the killing and led them to where King's body had been dumped. Crook was arrested several hours later at a roadblock at 51st Street and Idylwyld Drive.

In 2011, Gregory Fischer, who remains on lifetime parole for the killing, was arrested again by Warman RCMP for impaired driving on Highway 7 near Saskatoon and was returned to prison for two years.

Key facts

Victims
Thomas Brian King
Date
1978
Location
Idylwyld Drive and South Saskatchewan River, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1938-03-29

    Thomas Brian King is born.

  2. 1978-04-24

    Gregory Fischer and Darrell Crook, in Lloydminster, decide to kill a police officer and stage a fake vehicle violation as bait.

  3. 1978-04-24

    Constable Thomas Brian King is ambushed during a traffic stop on Idylwyld Drive, disarmed, handcuffed, and abducted in the trunk of Fischer's car.

  4. 1978-04-25

    King is taken to the South Saskatchewan River near the Queen Elizabeth Power Station, shot twice in the head by Fischer, and his body is mutilated and dumped in the river.

  5. 1978-04-25

    Fischer is tackled and arrested by Saskatoon Police after a foot chase; he confesses and leads police to King's body. Crook is arrested hours later at a roadblock.

  6. 2011

    Gregory Fischer, on lifetime parole, is arrested by Warman RCMP for impaired driving and returned to prison for two years.

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People

  • Gregory Fischer

    CONVICTED

    High school student who, with Darrell Crook, abducted, tortured, and shot Constable King; identified as the shooter; later returned to prison in 2011 for a parole violation (impaired driving).

  • Glenn Thomson

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Saskatoon Police K-9 officer who passed King's traffic stop and later provided a description of the suspect vehicle.

  • Rick Penny

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Saskatoon Police constable involved in the vehicle chase and arrest of Gregory Fischer.

  • Thomas Brian King

    VICTIM

    RCMP constable ambushed, tortured, and shot to death by two high school students in 1978.

  • Jim Bracken

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Saskatoon Police constable who chased and tackled Gregory Fischer on foot, leading to his arrest.

  • Darrell Crook

    CONVICTED

    High school student who, with Gregory Fischer, disarmed and abducted Constable King and participated in his torture and killing.

  • Doug Rushlow

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    RCMP Saskatoon detachment constable who was on duty with King the night of the murder and later found King's abandoned cruiser.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Idylwyld Drive and South Saskatchewan River, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

52.1332, -106.6700

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
RCMP Constable Thomas Brian King was ambushed, overpowered, tortured, and shot to death by two local high school students near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on April 24–25, 1978, after they staged a fake traffic violation to lure and disarm a police officer.
Where did the murder happen?
Idylwyld Drive and South Saskatchewan River, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Who was convicted?
Gregory Fischer (High school student who, with Darrell Crook, abducted, tortured, and shot Constable King; identified as the shooter; later returned to prison in 2011 for a parole violation (impaired driving).) and Darrell Crook (High school student who, with Gregory Fischer, disarmed and abducted Constable King and participated in his torture and killing.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
More cases in Saskatchewan

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Brian KingWikipedia · 2026-07-05
  2. OFFICIAL / AGENCYRCMP Honour Rollrcmp-grc.gc.ca · 2026-07-05
  3. OFFICIAL / AGENCYCanadian Virtual War Memorial — record detailveterans.gc.ca · 2026-07-05

Record history

First published
JUL 05, 2026
Last verified against sources
JUL 05, 2026