HARTFORD, Conn. — A man wanted on a Canada-wide warrant was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Hartford on Tuesday, York Regional Police reported on March 28, 2024.
Kensworth Alton Francis, 29, of Mississauga, Ontario, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder related to a 2022 double homicide in Vaughan, Ontario, York Regional Police said. York Regional Police are based out of Ontario.
York Regional Police responded to the ATL Lounge in the city of Vaughan around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 23, 2022, and officers located three victims with gunshot wounds when they arrived, police say.
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Nightclub security guards Tosin Amos-Arowoshegbe, 25, and Chibueze Momah, 22, died from their injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene, police say, while a 20-year-old female victim attending the club as a patron was transported to a hospital and survived.
Court documents say investigators obtained a witness statement later in the day of the shooting noting that between 3:15 a.m. and 3:20 a.m. the witness was splashed with water from behind. The witness turned around to confront the man who he believed splashed him, and that man then punched the witness and struck him with a tequila bottle.
The witness discovered he was bleeding and left the club of his own accord. Outside of the club, he saw the man who assaulted him jump over the railing for the club entrance and proceed toward a line of parked vehicles, court documents say.
“Witness I then heard people saying, ‘He has a gun,’ and subsequently heard four shots in quick succession,” court documents say, adding that the witness did not turn around to see who discharged the weapon, but did call 911.
Later that day, police gained access to the lounge’s surveillance footage and were able to discover that the man who started the fight was Francis. Francis and a friend were ejected from the club by Arowoshegbe and Momah, court documents say.
Exterior video surveillance captured Francis in the parking lot carrying a gun and wearing a t-shirt, previously identified by authorities, on his head to conceal his face. Francis was also wearing the same shoes, pants and chain as seen by footage from the club.
Court documents go on to say that at approximately 3:28 a.m., after the security guards locked the club’s doors, Francis fired numerous shots through the doors, killing Arowoshegbe and Momah and injuring the 20-year-old woman.
Further witnesses also helped authorities identify Francis and his phone number, court documents say. In late 2023, the U.S. Marshals Service determined Francis’ phone was active and he was making calls from the Hartford area.
Court documents also reveal that Francis’ wife, who lives in the Bahamas, flew back and forth to Connecticut and nearby airports several times, including in December 2023 and January 2024.
The York Regional Police Homicide Unit has actively been working the investigation and partnered with the Be On the Look Out Program, the RCMP INTERPOL Fugitive Apprehension Support Team and the U.S. Marshals Service to locate Francis.
Court documents note that Francis’ attorney, Charles F. Willson, informed him of his rights under the extradition treaty in force between the U.S. and Canada, and Francis asked the U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut, to expedite his return in custody to Canada.
Francis admitted in court documents that he was the one whom charges are pending in Canada and agreed to be transported in custody, as soon as possible, to Canada, while remaining in custody of the U.S. Marshal Service until the arrival of duly authorized representatives from Canada.
“I execute this waiver of rights knowingly, voluntarily and entirely of my own free will and accord,” Francis said in a court document dated March 26, 2024.
The BOLO Program is an initiative that uses social media, technology, and innovative engagement to encourage citizens to keep an eye out for Canada’s most wanted, police say.
Investigators are now working with the Ministry of the Attorney General to extradite Francis to York, police say.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the York Police Homicide Unit at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7865, email homicde@yrp.ca, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or leave an anonymous tip online at www.1800222tips.com.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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