Canadian Fugitive Wanted for Toronto Murder Arrested in Oxford

A Canadian fugitive wanted for a 2024 Toronto murder was arrested in Oxford on March 23, bringing to a close a nearly two-year international manhunt that stretched from the streets of Toronto to north Mississippi.

Adrian Walker, 28, of Toronto, was taken into custody by federal and state law enforcement after U.S. officials determined he had been hiding in Tupelo under an assumed alias. Walker carried a Canada-wide arrest warrant from the Toronto Police Service for first-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with a shooting near Winona Drive and Vaughan Road in Toronto during the early morning hours of May 7, 2024. That shooting killed 31-year-old Trevor Dalton John and left a woman with non-life-threatening injuries.

Walker had been listed as the 14th entry on the BOLO (Be On The Lookout) program's national most-wanted list, which Canada's 25 Most Wanted compiles from active fugitive cases. His arrest in Oxford came after agents from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations determined he had illegally entered the United States without being inspected by immigration officials. HSI agents obtained a federal arrest warrant on an immigration offense, and the U.S. Marshals Service's Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, along with the ATF, carried out the capture Monday afternoon.

U.S. Attorney Scott F. Leary, whose office announced the arrest and brought the immigration-related charge in the Northern District of Mississippi, did not mince words about the case. "This was a serious case. A Canadian national, wanted for murder, entered our country illegally and was living in our midst," Leary said. "Seeking sanctuary in Mississippi is not a smart move."

The Enforcement and Removal Operations branch of ICE placed an immigration detainer on Walker to ensure he is deported following the resolution of any charges he faces in Mississippi. After that process concludes, he is expected to be transported to Toronto, where he will face first-degree murder and attempted murder charges for the May 7, 2024 shooting.

Walker is not the only person charged in connection with the Toronto killing. Kemyan Franklyn, 20, was arrested on May 30, 2024, and charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in the same case.

The Mississippi case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clyde McGee and John Herzog Jr. and was investigated as part of Operation Take Back America, a Homeland Security Task Force initiative.