One of Canada's 10 most wanted arrested at Trudeau airport
Jonathan Ouellet-Gendron has a warrant for murder in a 2022 Saskatoon homicide
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One of Canada’s 10 most wanted people, a suspect in a 2022 homicide in Saskatoon, was arrested on Saturday at Montreal’s Trudeau airport.
Montreal-born Jonathan Ouellet-Gendron, 26, was arrested as he returned to the country, the Sûreté du Québec announced. He has warrants for murder, drug trafficking and other firearms offences, 14 charges in total.
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The SQ said he will be detained for a court appearance expected to take place Sunday.
On May 19, 2022, Brandon Baxandall, 29, was killed in a shooting in an apartment on Saskatoon’s Melrose Avenue. He had white zip ties around his wrists, duct tape on his mouth and a lot of cash in his pockets, according to an agreed statement of facts read out in a court case against Mohamed Abdula Ali, 37, who was convicted of manslaughter in the killing in 2024. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
Gendron, Ali and two other men lured Baxandall, who they knew through the drug trade, to Ali’s apartment, according to the statement of facts. Earlier that day, Ali had overheard a conversation in French between Gendron and a man referred to as “Bob” about drugs and robbing someone.
Knowing Gendron wanted to meet Baxandall for “nefarious reasons,” Ali asked the victim to come over so he could pay him money he owed. The two men chatted and Ali paid Baxandall before Gendron and “Bob” emerged from a bedroom and tried to tie Baxandall up.
Baxandall drew a semi-automatic handgun, shot at “Bob,” missed, and hit another man before his gun jammed.
“A gunfight ensued,” leaving bullet holes in the walls and blood in the hallway of a building filled with people.
Ali, who was between Gendron, “Bob” and Baxandall, was hit three times. Baxandall was shot in the neck, in the side of his body and twice in the back as he tried to run away.
Police determined that Gendron had shot both Baxandall and Ali. A 9 mm Glock found in a back alley garbage bin had Gendron’s DNA on it, and the handgun had fired a bullet removed from Baxandall’s body.
The Crown prosecutor said Ali initially claimed to be a victim in the shooting, but while he didn’t know the full extent of Gendron’s plan, he knew there would be violence when he helped lure Baxandall to his suite, and he helped Gendron buy zip ties, duct tape, gardening sheers and rope.
The arrest comes two months after a $50,000 reward for information leading to Ouellet-Gendron’s capture expired. He was No. 10 on the list of Canada’s 25 most wanted under the Bolo Program.
With files from the Saskatoon StarPhoenix
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