James Smith Cree Nation, Saskatchewan
Reuters
Canadian police found one of the suspects in a mass stabbing spree dead on Monday while the other suspect, his brother, remained at large.
The brothers had been suspected of murdering 10 people and wounding 18 in a stabbing rampage that devastated an Indigenous community in Saskatchewan on Sunday.
Annie Sanderson comforts her grand-daughter, who was close with Gloria Lydia Burns, 62, who was killed on James Smith Cree Nation after a stabbing spree killed 10 people on the reserve and nearby town of Weldon, Saskatchewan, Canada, on 5th September. PICTURE: Reuters/David Stobbe
The attacks, which Indigenous leaders said were drug-related, were among the deadliest in Canada’s modern history. Police said some of the victims appeared to have been targeted, while others were apparently random.
Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson, who are named by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as suspects in stabbings in Canada’s Saskatchewan province, are pictured in this undated handout image released by the RCMP on 4th September. PICTURE: RCMP/Handout via Reuters.
Damien Sanderson, 31, was found dead on the James Smith Cree Nation and his brother, Myles Sanderson, 30, “may have sustained injuries” and may be seeking medical attention, said Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police, at a news conference.
With the death of one Sanderson brother and the injury to the other, the casualty count now stood at 11 dead and 19 injured, Blackmore said.
Damien Sanderson’s body was found outdoors in a heavily grassy area near a house that was being examined, she said.
“We can confirm he has visible injuries. These injuries are not believed to be self-inflicted at this point,” Blackmore said without specifying what caused the injuries.
Asked if Myles Sanderson was suspected of also killing his brother, Blackmore said, “We haven’t confirmed that. We can’t say one way or the other if Myles was involved in the death of Damien.”
She also warned that police still considered Myles Sanderson a danger to the public, even if he were injured.
“Myles has a lengthy criminal record involving both persons and property crimes…We consider him armed and dangerous. Do not approach him,” Blackmore said.
CBC News reported that police in the Saskatchewan city of Saskatoon had been searching for Myles Sanderson since May, when he stopped meeting his parole officer after serving a sentence for assault, robbery, mischief and uttering threats.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the attacks “shocking and heartbreaking” and said he had spoken with the leadership of the James Smith Cree Nation and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe to pledge his government’s support.
“The Federal Government will be there with the resources necessary right now in this time of crisis but also we’ll continue to work as partners in the weeks, months and years to come through grieving and healing,” Trudeau said at the Ottawa airport, before flying to Vancouver for a meeting of Liberal ministers.
A person holds a phone showing a photo of Gloria Lydia Burns, 62, who was killed on James Smith Cree Nation after a stabbing spree killed 10 people on the reserve and nearby town of Weldon, Saskatchewan, Canada, on 5th September. PICTURE: Reuters/David Stobbe
Victims young and old
Ivor Wayne Burns of James Smith Cree Nation said three of the victims – his sister Gloria Lydia Burns, a woman and the 14-year-old boy – died at a single location.
Gloria Burns, a member of the community’s crisis response team, was killed when she attended an emergency call.
“This tragedy that happened here on our land, it’s all because of drugs and alcohol,” said Burns, adding that the involvement of drugs in the killings was discussed at a community meeting on Monday.
“The drug problem we have here is rampant, it’s gone out of control,” Burns said.
His comments echoed those on Sunday of Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, who connected the killings with drugs.
Burns said the men responsible for the killings are band members and were high at the time of the crimes. Police have not identified drugs or alcohol as a factor or said where the two accused lived.
Doreen Lees, 89, said she and her daughter were sitting on their porch in Weldon on Sunday morning when a dark SUV sped past, an unusual sight in the small village.
Shortly after, a man approached them saying he was hurt, Lees said, adding that he stood around 10 feet away and had his face covered. Her daughter ran inside to call police. But then the man took off, she said.
“At the time the person didn’t make us feel nervous. We just thought he was hurt and he needed some help,” Lees said. “But he didn’t stop and wait for the help, then we wondered ‘What is going on here?'”
James Smith Cree Nation is an Indigenous community with a population of about 3,400 people largely engaged in farming, hunting and fishing. Weldon is a village of some 200 people.
Indigenous people account for less than five per cent of Canada’s population of about 38 million and suffer from higher levels of poverty and unemployment than other Canadians and also have a shorter life expectancy.
In an unrelated incident that has further rattled the province, police in Saskatchewan said on Monday they were investigating reports of a shooting on Witchekan Lake First Nation and warned the public that several armed suspects were on the loose.
– Additional reporting by ISMAIL SHAKIL in Ottawa, and KANISHKA SINGH in Washington DC, US
