A man wanted by police for allegedly assisting with the sale of a gun that was used in the homicides of Colin Reitberger and Anees Amr last spring has been charged with weapons trafficking.

Reitberger and Amr were shot and killed in the parking lot of a southeast Superstore on May 21, 2017.

Christian Joffre Ouellette, 20, of Calgary was charged with two counts of first-degree murder last June.

In December, police put out an appeal to the public to identify anyone who may have helped Ouellette procure a gun or who may have interacted with him before and after the murders.

Blaise Delaire, 26, is now charged with one count of weapons trafficking for his part in homicides. He is expected to appear in court on March 27, 2018.

Police believe the incident was the result of a dispute between Reitberger and Ouellette involving drug trafficking and that Amr was an innocent victim.

Investigators have linked the homicides to ALERT's cross-border organized crime investigation.

“I think one of the reasons we had such quick success on the homicide was because of Operation Arbour. Obviously the seizure in the United States occurred earlier. Operation Arbour was underway while this homicide happened. Through the Operation Arbour they were able to collaborate with homicide investigators and we were able to put the pieces of the homicide together very quickly. It’s a very, I think, rare thing that we’re able to hold someone accountable so quickly after a double homicide especially related to organized crime and that was a direct result of the work that the DEA and ALERT were doing,” said Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta. “What I can say is that Ouellette was, in our opinion, the enforcer for this group and obviously that played out on May 21 when we have a double homicide. The role that Delaire played, in our opinion, and what we’re alleging is that he facilitated the access to the handgun that was used in the double homicide.”

Schiavetta says police are concerned about violence in the community and that the percentage of homicides related to organized crime has increased in the city.

“Obviously we’re very concerned about violence in our community and in this case, I think it really emphasizes violence suppression through drug enforcement and obviously in homicide we deal with the tail-end of a conflict where someone dies but that conflict is usually involving a dispute, whether it’s real or artificial or over drug territory and in this case that certainly played out in a very public setting at 7:55 down in a very busy supermarket where probably some of the people in this room actually live and to see the aerial fly-over that HAWKS does after that and see the totality of the scene with the two deceased lying there and people panicking, that really plays home for all of us. So to see the turnout today, to see the weapons that are seized and the drugs, is a real complement to everyone who worked on this file because if it wasn’t for this suppression we may be dealing with another homicide very soon,” he said. "As far as the homicide goes, we have concluded our investigation into Reitberger and Amr. Of course, any other spin-off investigations would go to an organized crime unit.”

Investigators continue to search for the driver of a red SUV and say Ouellette was dropped off by the vehicle at a gas station on Freeport Blvd, N.E. after the homicides.

The vehicle is described as:

  • Red Dodge Durango SLT
  • Likely a 2004 to 2006 model
  • Sunroof

Anyone with information is asked to contact police by calling 403-266-1234 or the Homicide Unit Tip Line at 403-428-8877. Tips can also be left anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers through either of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org