Early Sunday morning at around 5:40 a.m., police began receiving calls reporting several stabbings in the James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, Saskatchewan.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the stabbings were both targeted and random, and police were investigating at least 13 different crime scenes related to the mass killing. Two brothers, Damien Sanderson, 31, and Myles Sanderson, 30, are believed to be responsible for the attacks.
Monday night, Saskatchewan RCMP said that Damien, one of the brothers and a suspect in the stabbing spree, had been found dead with wounds that are “not believed to be self-inflicted.” He was found on an Indigenous reserve near a house at around 11:39 a.m., according to the police.
The other suspect, Myles, is still at large and is believed to be injured, the RCMP said on Monday. Myles is said to have an “extensive and lengthy criminal record” against property and people.
The two fled the scene in a stolen vehicle, a black Nissan Rogue with the license plate 119 MPI. According to police, a driver spotted the vehicle at 11:45 a.m. in Regina.
Residents in the James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon were given shelter-at-home orders by the RCMP, and police expanded the search almost 200 miles south to Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan.
Earlier on Monday, the RCMP announced that they were charging the Sanderson brothers with first-degree murder, attempted murder and “break and enter.”
“The RCMP continued through the night, and this morning we continue to use every available resource to address both the crime scenes and the efforts to locate these two individuals. Damian Sanderson and Myles Sanderson have both been charged with first-degree murder,” said Rhonda Blackmore, Saskatchewan RCMP Commanding Officer Assistant Commissioner. “They are wanted men.”
“To those of you who have lost a loved one, our hearts ache and break for you. I hope that you can find some comfort in the days ahead as you deal with your grief,” Blackmore added in the update.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also took to Twitter to express his condolences to the victims in Sunday’s attack, calling them “horrific and heartbreaking.” He announced on Monday that the flag on the Peace Tower would be flown at half-mast in “memory of those who lost their lives.”
4 September 2022, 23:30 GMT