Both brothers were wanted in connection with the deaths of 10 of the stabbing victims. But when asked by a reporter if Myles Sanderson was the one who carried out the murders, Blackmore said: “Our witness accounts that we have received indicate that Myles Sanderson was the person responsible,” though noting that the investigation is still working to confirm. exactly who was involved.
The events leading up to the death of Myles Sanderson began with a 2:07 p.m. local time Wednesday home invasion call when officers received information that Sanderson was outside a home northeast of the town of Wakaw with a knife. He was reported to have stolen a white Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck and fled the property and RCMP has issued an emergency alert, Blackmore said.
Over the next 45 minutes, RCMP received more than 20 calls about possible sightings of the truck. An RCMP officer eventually saw that the truck was going at least 90 mph (150 kph) and was located on a nearby highway, Blackmore said.
“To ensure the safety of drivers on the road, the vehicle was pulled off the road and into a nearby ditch,” Blackmore said.
Police confirmed the driver was Sanderson and pulled him over, Blackmore said. A knife was found inside his vehicle.
“Shortly after his arrest, he went into medical straits. He was called to nearby EMS to attend the scene and transported him to a hospital in Saskatoon,” Blackmore said, adding that he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Blackmore said “every life-saving action that we are capable of was taken” until EMS arrived when Sanderson was in medical distress. He declined to comment when asked if administering Narcan was one of those life-saving measures.
“I can’t speak to the specific manner of death, that will be part of the autopsy that will be done,” Blackmore said.
The Saskatoon Police Service and the Saskatchewan Incident Response Team will conduct the investigation into Sanderson’s death, according to Blackmore.
Sanderson’s death and arrest come three days after 10 people were killed in the mass stabbing and 18 others were injured. The victims’ ages ranged from 23 to 78, authorities said.
All but one of the victims are from James Smith’s Cree Nation
The 10 victims are between the ages of 23 and 78, and all but one are from the James Smith Cree Nation Indian community, according to authorities.
Saskatchewan Coroner’s Service and RCMP He provided the names and ages of the victims in a statement Wednesday, but declined to confirm their relationships. Six of the victims share the last name Burns, two share the last name Head, and one shares the last name of the two suspects in the attacks.
The victims were identified as:
- Thomas Burns, 23
- Carol Burns, 46
- Gregory Burns, 28
- Lydia Gloria Burns, 61
- bonnie burns 48
- Earl Burns 66
- wool head 49
- christian head 54
- Robert Sanderson, 49
- Wesley Peterson, 78
Petterson is from Weldon, Saskatchewan, while the other nine victims are from the James Smith Cree Nation.
Several relatives of some of the victims spoke at a news conference Wednesday about their loved ones. Saskatoon tribal chief Mark Arcand identified Bonnie Burns as his sister and Gregory Burns as his son, saying another of his children was stabbed but survived.
“Let me be honest in saying this, we really don’t know what happened. We only know that members of our family were killed in their own home, in their yard,” Arcand said.
In addition, 18 people were injured in the knife attacks, but authorities will not reveal their identities. “We can confirm that one teenager was injured and the remaining injured are all adults. We will not confirm other specific ages,” the agencies said.
The victim information was released as Canadian police continued their massive search for one of the two suspects in the brutal, which spanned 13 different crime scenes in the James Smith Cree Nation and in Weldon. a nearby rural town.
Apparently, some of the victims were attacked, police say.
It is not clear what motivated the violence and how or if the brothers knew any of the victims.
Apparently, some were targeted, while others may have been targeted at random, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said at a briefing Monday.
It is also unknown if the brothers carried out the attacks at the same time, according to Blackmore.
The first stabbing was reported on the James Smith Cree Nation at 5:40 a.m. Minutes later, several more calls came in about stabbings elsewhere, police said.
The nation has a population of about 3,400 people with about 1,800 members living on the reservation, according to its website.
As of 9:45 a.m., authorities reported casualties at multiple locations, including one in Weldon.
Lydia Gloria Burns, lifeguard, She was responding to a crisis call when she was caught up in the violence and died, her brother Darryl Burns told Reuters, though the agency did not say whether the call was related to the stabbings.
“She was massacred,” her brother Ivor Burns told Reuters.
The discovery of Damien Sanderson’s body a day after the attacks also raised questions about his brother’s involvement in his death. But police said Monday it was not clear if Myles Sanderson was involved.
“It’s an investigative avenue that we’re pursuing, but we can’t say that definitively at this point,” Blackmore said.
The suspect had a ‘long’ criminal history and was released by the parole board.
Blackmore previously said that Sanderson had warrants for his arrest prior to the stabbings.
“Myles’ history goes back several years and includes crimes against both property and people,” Blackmore said, without elaborating on the alleged crimes.
“His actions have shown that he is violent, so we continue to emphasize that people remain vigilant,” Blackmore added.
The Parole Board of Canada granted Sanderson a legal release, according to a ruling issued on February 1, 2022.
Statutory release is a presumptive statutory release that allows an offender to serve part of their sentence in the community under direct supervision, according to the board. Under Canadian law, the Correctional Service of Canada must release most offenders to supervision after they have served two-thirds of their sentence, if they have not already been paroled, except for those serving life sentences.
The board said in the ruling that it did not believe Sanderson would present a risk to the public if released. The decision did take note of his long criminal history and that he was assessed by a psychologist for a “moderate risk of violence.”
“Her criminal history is deeply concerning, including the use of violence and weapons related to her primary crimes, and her history of domestic violence that victimized family members, including her children, and persons outside the family,” the ruling states.
In a statement, the Parole Board said it “extends its thoughts to the victims, their families, and all those who have been affected as a result of these horrific and senseless acts of violence.”
Citing the Privacy Act, the board said it could not discuss the details of a criminal’s case.
CNN’s Paula Newton, Tina Burnside, Chuck Johnston, Michelle Watson, Teele Rebane and Cara Lynn Clarkson contributed to this report.
