JAMES SMITH CREE NATION, Saskatchewan, Sept 5 (Reuters) – Canadian police found one of the suspects stabbed to death on Monday while the other suspect, his brother, remained at large and may be injured, officials said .
Brothers Damien and Myles Sanderson are believed to have killed 10 people and injured 18 in a stabbing rampage that devastated an Indigenous community in Saskatchewan on Sunday, in a country unaccustomed to outbreaks of mass violence.
The attacks were among the deadliest in modern Canadian history. Read more Police said some of the victims appeared to have been targeted, while others were apparently random. (Chart: https://tmsnrt.rs/3cKaBP0)
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Victims included a mother of two, a 77-year-old widower and a first responder. Read more
In a manhunt involving hundreds of police, 31-year-old Damien Sanderson was found dead in a grassy area in James Smith’s Cree Nation, possibly killed by his brother, who had previously been wanted for violent crimes.
The still-at-large brother, Myles Sanderson, 30, “may have sustained injuries” and may require medical attention, Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police commander Rhonda Blackmore told a news conference.
With one Sanderson brother dead and the other injured, the death toll now stands at 11 dead and 19 injured, Blackmore said.
“We can confirm that he has visible injuries. These injuries are not believed to be self-inflicted at this stage,” Blackmore said without specifying the cause of the injuries.
When asked if Myles Sanderson was suspected of also killing his brother, Blackmore replied: “It’s an investigative lead we’re following, but we can’t say that definitively.”
She also warned that police still consider Myles Sanderson a danger to the public, even though he was injured.
“Myles has a lengthy criminal record involving both crimes against the person and property. … We consider him armed and dangerous. Do not approach him,” Blackmore said.
Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson, who are named by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) as stabbing suspects in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, are pictured in this undated image released by the RCMP September 4, 2022. RCMP /Handout via REUTERS
Police in the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, had been looking for Myles Sanderson since May, when he stopped meeting with his parole officer after serving time for assault, robbery, mischief and uttering threats, reported CBC News.
BLAMED DRUG AND ALCOHOL
Ivor Wayne Burns of the James Smith Cree Nation said three of the victims – his sister Gloria Lydia Burns, a woman and a 14-year-old boy – died at one location.
However, police told a press conference on Monday that the youngest victim was born in 1999.
Community Emergency Response Team member Gloria Burns was killed when she responded to an emergency call.
“This tragedy that has happened here on our land is because of drugs and alcohol,” Burns said, adding that the involvement of drugs in the murders was discussed during a community meeting Monday.
“The drug problem we have here is endemic. It’s gotten out of control,” Burns said.
His comments echoed those on Sunday from Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, who linked the killings to drugs.
Although police have not identified drugs or alcohol as a factor, Burns said the men responsible for the killings are gang members and were stoned at the time of the crimes. Band is a term used to refer to certain First Nations communities in Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the attacks ‘shocking and heartbreaking’ and said he spoke with Cree Nation leaders James Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe to pledge support of his government.
“The federal government will be there with the necessary resources right now during this time of crisis, but we will also continue to work as partners in the weeks, months and years to come through grief and healing,” said said Trudeau at the Ottawa airport, before flying to Vancouver for a meeting of Liberal ministers.
In an unrelated incident that has further rocked the province, Saskatchewan police said Monday they are investigating reports of a shooting at Witchekan Lake First Nation and warned the public that several armed suspects were freely. Read more
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Reporting by David Stobbe in the Cree Nation of James Smith, Saskatchewan, Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Written by Rami Ayyub and Daniel Trotta; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Alistair Bell
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