New Brunswick RCMP charged Brian Christmas with first-degree murder in the Elsipogtog shooting of Hayven Francis.

Christmas is the third person the RCMP has charged in the killing of Hayven Francis, and the count against him is first-degree murder. He appeared in Moncton provincial court the day he was arrested and was remanded to Oct. 26. Abdel Alcheikh Houri faces the same murder charge after an arrest at the Montreal airport. Kelsey Clair's count is accessory after the fact, which is a different accusation. None of the three has been convicted.

The New Brunswick RCMP said that on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, officers arrested Brian Christmas, 38, of Elsipogtog First Nation, in the homicide of Hayven Francis. He appeared in Moncton provincial court the same day, was charged with first-degree murder and was remanded, the RCMP said. He is due back in court on Oct. 26. CBC News reported the same age, the same charge, the same remand and the same return date, and reported police described him as the third person charged. A first-degree murder charge is the accusation on the information. It is the start of the court case.

The shooting was four days earlier. The RCMP said that at 1:50 a.m. on Oct. 13, Elsipogtog members responded to a report of a man shot outside a residence on Ball Park Street. Officers found him dead, and the Major Crime Unit called the death a homicide. On Oct. 15 the RCMP identified him as Hayven Francis, 21, and said investigators believe the incident was targeted and that there is no further risk to the public. The force issued an Alert Ready message at about 2:35 a.m. telling people in Elsipogtog and nearby to stay inside, and cancelled it at 6:15 a.m. after concluding the general public was no longer in danger. A death at the scene, and a police description of a targeted shooting, are what the RCMP reported about that morning. They do not identify who fired.

Two other people were already in custody. The RCMP said Abdel Alcheikh Houri, 27, of Ottawa, was arrested Oct. 16 at Montréal-Trudeau International Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Dubai. He was charged with first-degree murder, appeared in Montreal provincial court on Oct. 17 by tele-remand, and was to be brought to New Brunswick, the RCMP said. CBC News reported he appeared in Moncton provincial court on Tuesday morning, Oct. 20, was remanded, and is due back on Nov. 10. The Telegraph-Journal reported the same Tuesday appearance and the same Nov. 10 date, and reported his lawyer asked for the adjournment so they could discuss the case. Kelsey Clair, 35, of Elsipogtog, was arrested Oct. 17 and appeared by tele-remand on Oct. 18, the RCMP said. She was charged with being an accessory after the fact of murder and was told to return on Oct. 20. CBC News reported the same accessory charge. The Telegraph-Journal reported that on Tuesday her case was adjourned to Oct. 28, and that the count alleges she helped Alcheikh Houri escape, knowing he had killed Francis. That is the allegation in her charge. It is not a murder count, and it is not a finding.

The Telegraph-Journal reported that, at the Crown's request, all three were ordered to have no contact with one another and with eight other people connected to the case, and that none of them is eligible for a bail hearing in provincial court on these charges. Release, the paper reported, would require an application in the Court of King's Bench. CBC News reported Bo Augustine, the administrator of Elsipogtog First Nation, said the community had grown worried about safety and that he hopes the arrests give the family some measure of closure as they prepare to bury Francis. The RCMP said the investigation is ongoing. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.