JAMES SMITH CREE NATION, Saskatchewan, Sept 5 (Reuters) – Canadian police found one of the suspects in a series of mass stabbings dead on Monday while the other suspect, his brother, was still on the run and may be injured, authorities said.
Brothers Damien and Myles Sanderson are suspected of killing 10 people and wounding 18 others in a stabbing 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. (Graph: https://tmsnrt.rs/3cKaBP0)
Register now for FREE, unlimited access to Reuters.comRegister
The victims included a mother of two, a 77-year-old widower and a lifeguard. Read more
In a manhunt involving hundreds of police officers, 31-year-old Damien Sanderson was found dead in a grassy area of the James Smith Cree Nation, possibly killed by his brother, who had previously been wanted by violent crimes
The brother still at large, Myles Sanderson, 30, “may have sustained injuries” and may be seeking medical attention, Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Saskatchewan, told a news conference.
With the death of one Sanderson brother and the wounding of the other, 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 time,” Blackmore said without specifying what caused the injuries.
Asked if Myles Sanderson was suspected of killing his brother as well, Blackmore said, “It’s a line of inquiry that we’re following, but we can’t say definitively.”
He also warned that police still considered Myles Sanderson a danger to the public, even if he was injured.
“Myles has a lengthy criminal record that includes both crimes against persons and crimes against property … We consider him armed and dangerous. Do not approach,” Blackmore said.
Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson, who are named by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) as suspects in stabbings in Canada’s Saskatchewan province, appear in this undated photo released by the RCMP on Sept. 4, 2022. RCMP / Brochure via REUTERS
Read more
Police in the Saskatchewan city of Saskatoon had been looking for Myles Sanderson since May, when he stopped meeting with his probation officer after serving a sentence for assault, theft, mischief and threats, CBC News reported .
DRUGS AND ALCOHOL BLAME
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 in one place.
However, police said at a news conference on Monday that the youngest victim was born in 1999.
Gloria Burns, a member of the Community Crisis Response Team, was killed when she attended an emergency call.
“This tragedy that happened here in our country, it’s all because of drugs and alcohol,” Burns said, adding that the involvement of drugs in the killings was discussed Monday at a meeting of the community
“The drug problem we have here is rampant. It’s gotten out of control,” Burns said.
His comments echoed those of Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron on Sunday, who linked the killings to drugs.
While police have not identified drugs or alcohol as a factor, Burns said the men responsible for the killings are gang members and were high 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 had spoken with Cree Nation leadership James Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe to pledge his government’s support.
“The federal government will be there with the resources needed right now in this time of crisis, but we will also continue to work as partners in the coming weeks, months and years through grieving and healing,” Trudeau said at the airport in ‘Ottawa. 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 were investigating reports of a shooting in Witchekan Lake First Nation and warned the public that several armed suspects were on the loose. Read more
Register now for FREE, unlimited access to Reuters.comRegister
Reporting by David Stobbe in James Smith Cree Nation, 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
Our standards: the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.