A 23-year-old Toronto man wanted on nationwide warrants for multiple murders in 2018, including that of a Toronto rapper will make his next court appearance at Alberta Court of Justice in Didsbury on new charges incurred in Alberta.
During a traffic stop, on Jan. 27, the suspect was arrested in Airdrie with a female driver, Alysha Chand, 25, of Burnaby, B.C.
The vehicle was pulled over for speeding and illegal window tint during a routine enforcement patrol on Edmonton Trail NE in Airdrie.
At a press conference on Jan. 29, at Airdrie's RCMP detachment, Const. Jennifer Weedmark announced the arrest of Chand and the yet unnamed man.
In Airdrie, the RCMP charged the Toronto man with five firearm-related offences, carrying a concealed weapon, three identity fraud charges, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, counterfeit money, and two counts of resisting arrest — resisting and obstructing a police officer.
During his next court appearance on Feb. 24 in Didsbury, the suspect is expected to enter a plea and elect whether he chooses a trial by a judge and a jury or a judge alone.
Police say at the time of his arrest, the accused was wanted for a 2018 shooting in Toronto that killed a 21-year-old rapper named Jahvante Smart, better known as Smoke Dawg, and a 28-year-old victim named Ernest Modekwe.
They were killed outside a downtown Toronto nightclub on June 30, 2018.
According to Toronto police, a woman was also injured in the shooting; though she survived.
One suspect, Abdulkadir Handule, was found guilty on two counts of second-degree murder in the case by a jury in 2022. He was arrested a year after the shooting took place.
The suspect arrested in Airdrie has been charged by the Toronto Police Service with two first-degree murder charges and one charge of attempted murder.
The man's name is currently under publication ban as he was a young offender at the time of Toronto charges.
He appeared via video link at the Ontario Court of Justice on Feb. 6, according to Toronto police.
At the time of arrest in Airdrie, the adult male fled on foot and was armed with a loaded 40 calibre firearm. Upon inquiry regarding his identity by the officer, he presented false identification.
The total value of the counterfeit money, combined with the worth of the firearm, amounted to just under $11,000.
-With files from The Canadian Press
