One of Canada’s most wanted fugitives has been arrested in the United States in connection with a 2024 Toronto shooting that resulted in the death of a 31-year-old father and business owner.
Adrian Walker, 28, was taken into custody in Oxford, Mississippi, on March 23, the Toronto Police Service said in a press release.
Walker, who is the 14th suspect on Canada’s 25 most wanted list, will be transported back to Toronto to face charges of first degree murder and attempted murder, police said.
The charges stem from a May 7, 2024, double shooting outside an apartment building in the city’s Oakwood Village.
The victims were standing outside the building when a vehicle pulled up and several suspects opened fire, according to a summary of the case released on the website for the BOLO Program, which lists Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Police responded to a call about the shooting just after 1 a.m. in the Winona Drive and Vaughan Road area of the city and found two victims with gunshot wounds.
The male victim, 31-year-old Trevor John of Toronto, died in hospital, while a female victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
John was a father and a security company owner in Toronto who was described by community members as a humble and easy-going man.
Police charged 28-year-old Walker and a 20-year-old Kemyan Franklyn in connection with the shooting. Franklyn was arrested on May 30, 2024, and charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder but Walker remained at large until his arrest this week.
United States Attorney Scott Leary announced in a March 23 press release that Walker was picked up in Mississippi on an immigration related charge.
U.S. authorities discovered Walker was using an alias and hiding from Canadian law enforcement in Tupelo, Miss., according to the press release. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations subsequently determined that he had entered the United States illegally and had not been inspected by immigration authorities.
“This was a serious case. A Canadian national, wanted for murder, entered our country illegally and was living in our midst. He even made a Canadian Most Wanted list,” Leary said, adding that officers conducted a “multi-day operation to safely locate and apprehend” Walker.
He remains in custody in the United States and is facing immigration-related charges.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Walker will be shipped back to Canada to answer to his murder and attempted murder charges following “the conclusion of any charges he faces in the Northern District of Mississippi.”
