Man accused in London shooting pledges penny in successful bid for bail
Amare Walters-Lyte was arrested on July 10 in the Greater Toronto Area and charged in connection with the Nov. 24, 2024, shooting at a Dundas Street building.
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A Toronto man accused of firing shots at a downtown London cannabis shop has been released on bail after promising to pay one cent if he breaks his release conditions, court records show.
The Ontario Provincial Police arrested Amare Walters-Lyte, 18, of Toronto and Joshua Kalombo, 20, of Brampton on July 10 in the Greater Toronto Area and jointly charged them in relation to shots fired at a Dundas Street building on Nov. 24, 2024.
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Both face five charges, including discharging a firearm in a reckless manner, occupying a vehicle with a firearm, and possession of property obtained by crime.
An Ontario court justice ordered Walters-Lyte to be released on bail this week following a hearing last week, when Walters-Lyte pledged to pay one cent if he violates any of his release conditions, while his three sureties promised to pay a combined $35,000, court documents show.
A senior London police officer said the courts are responsible for bail decisions and that the police respect the independence of the judicial system and the process.
“Ontario’s police leadership has been actively advocating for reforms in Canada’s bail system. It is essential for our community to trust that violent and repeat offenders are not prematurely released back into our neighbourhoods,” acting Det.-Supt. Sean Travis said in a statement.
“The London Police Service remains dedicated to public safety, with our officers consistently focusing on high-risk offenders and those under bail conditions.”
Police chiefs, officers’ unions and politicians have been calling on the federal government to reform the way Canada’s bail system deals with repeat violent offenders.
Most details from Walter-Lyte’s bail hearing, including the reason by a justice of the peace for releasing him along with any evidence from the case, are under a court-imposed publication ban.
Under his release conditions, Walters-Lyte must live with his surety in Toronto and he isn’t allowed to leave the home except for medical appointments and court appearances while accompanied by his surety, the documents say.
He is prohibited from possessing any weapons or using any electronic device with access to the internet except when under the direct supervision of a surety, the documents say.
Walters-Lyte was additionally ordered not to contact his co-accused or go within 50 metres of the cannabis store at 264 Dundas St., just west of Wellington Road.
The store, which closed for several weeks after the gunfire before reopening, is one of a handful of cannabis dispensaries that have opened without obtaining a licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the province’s pot regulator. The businesses say they’re Indigenous-run and are exempt from Canada’s cannabis laws.
Property records show Erin Barletta owns the Dundas Street building that houses the pot shop. She is the wife of Vincent Barletta, the former owner of the Beef Baron strip club and brother of Robert Barletta, the former president of the London Hells Angels chapter and an alleged current member of the club’s Montreal chapter.
A security guard found what was believed to be bullet holes in the glass of a building on Nov. 24 before 3 a.m., police said.
The gunfire left the back door to the shop riddled with more than a dozen bullet holes. Nobody was injured.
Five days after Walters-Lyte and Kalombo were arrested, London police took the rare step of releasing photos of them – a move normally reserved for cases when a suspect remains at large – citing the ongoing investigation.
Kalombo remains in custody awaiting a bail hearing. Court records show he already was on bail at the time of the London shooting, facing charges of flight from police, dangerous driving causing bodily harm, possession of property obtained by crime, failing to comply with a sentence and failing to comply with a release order.
Those charges stem from alleged incidents in Brampton on Jan. 29, 2024. Kalombo was released on bail two days later, the documents say.
He was arrested again Jan. 1 and charged with possession of property obtained by crime before being released on bail two days later, the documents say.
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