Most Wanted Canadian Fugitive Arrested in Hartford in March Returned to Canada

New Haven, CT - A Canadian most wanted fugitive arrested in Hartford March 26 has been returned to Ontario to face the charges against him.  

Kensworth Alton Francis, 29, of the Bahamas, is wanted on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, stemming from a 2022 shooting incident at an Ontario nightclub which left two men dead.

At approximately 3:30 a.m., July 23, 2022, an argument occurred at the ATL Lounge in Vaughn, Ontario. Following the argument an individual produced a handgun and began shooting. When officers arrived, they found two security guards -- Tosin Amos-Arowoshegbe and Chibueze Momah -- suffering from gunshot wounds. Despite all lifesaving efforts, both men were pronounced dead on scene. A woman at the lounge was also shot but was transported to a hospital and survived.  

During the investigation York Regional Police Homicide Unit detectives identified Francis as the assailant, but their attempts to locate him were unsuccessful. Working with the Canadian authorities, U.S. Marshals, Hartford Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s office were able to develop information that led their investigation to Hartford.

On March 26, pursuant to an arrest warrant obtained in response to a provisional arrest request from Canada, the U.S. Marshals District of Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force, along with Marshals from the District of Maine, Hartford Police officers and Hartford SWAT, apprehended Francis, who was living under the alias John Johnson, at a residence in the 60 block of Magnolia Street.

Law enforcement recovered one short barrel assault rifle fixed with an extended magazine, 20 rounds of 5.56 ammunition, one .45-caliber Glock handgun, another .45-caliber Glock handgun converted with a fully automatic switch, three extended pistol magazines, and 89 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition.

Francis was transported to the Hartford Federal courthouse for arraignment and charged with being a fugitive from Canada for the offense of double homicide and attempted homicide in violation of Canada law, pursuant to the extradition treaty between the United States and Canada.  Francis waived extradition at his initial hearing.  The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut handled the extradition proceedings.

Since the inception of the U.S. Marshals – Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force in 1999, these partnerships have resulted in over 11,046 arrests (Updated as of 9/08/2022). The task force’s objective is to seek out and arrest violent fugitives and sexual predators. Membership agencies include Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Waterbury Police Departments and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. These arrests have ranged in seriousness from murder, assault, unregistered sex offenders, probation and parole violations and numerous other serious offenses. Nationally the U.S. Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 85 local fugitive task forces, eight regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries.

Source: U.S. Marshals Service, usmarshals.gov