Myles Sanderson, the second suspect in the Saskatchewan stabbing, died in hospital after his arrest, RCMP said.
Updated yesterday at 11:50 p.m.
Myles Sanderson was arrested on a highway near the town of Rosthern around 3:30 p.m. local time shortly after a notice was sent through Saskatchewan’s Emergency Alert System for a person armed with a knife driving a stolen Chevrolet Avalanche.
The RCMP’s Operational Communications Center in Saskatchewan has received about 20 calls from the public who may have seen Myles Sanderson’s stolen vehicle, the RCMP said at a press conference Wednesday evening.
The vehicle was spotted by a police officer, who later confirmed it was the car they were looking for. At the time of crossing the agent, the Chevrolet was traveling at more than 150 km/h. The police therefore forced the vehicle off the road as it represented a danger to the population. The 32-year-old man was arrested and a knife was found in the vehicle.
PHOTO LARS HAGBERG, AGENCY FRANCE-PRESSE
An RCMP officer is visibly shaken at the scene of Myles Sanderson’s arrest.
Once in custody, Myles Sanderson went into “medical distress,” said Saskatchewan RCMP Commander Rhonda Blackmore. The 32-year-old had to be transported to a hospital in Saskatoon. This is where his death was confirmed.
Saskatoon police will conduct an independent investigation into Sanderson’s death. An independent investigative observer will also be appointed to oversee the work of the police in this file.
The other suspect, Damien Sandersone, brother of Myles Sanderson, was found dead near one of the crime scenes on Monday. Police said it was not a suicide. Myles Sanderson was also the subject of an investigation into the death of his brother.
RCMP PHOTO BY REUTERS
Myles Sanderson
Last November, Myles Sanderson violated his release conditions. In February, the Parole Board, in its decision to keep him free, found that he did not represent “an excessive risk to society”.
Over the past 20 years, Myles Sanderson has been convicted of 59 criminal charges, including assault, assault with a weapon, assault on a police officer and robbery.
Relief for Saskatchewan
The arrest of Myles Sanderson put an end to an incessant hunt. “There is no longer a public safety risk associated with this investigation,” the RCMP wrote on Twitter.
Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino expressed his relief Wednesday night in Vancouver at seeing this murderous run come to an end, in addition to conveying his thanks to the RCMP.
On the reluctance of the federal police to provide the specific circumstances of the death of the suspect beyond “medical distress”, he said he understood that there are “plenty of questions”. He would not reveal if he knew more about the cause of death to avoid “short-circuiting the investigation process” of the two independent investigations that will be conducted into the RCMP intervention.
Nine victims from the same Cree village
The arrest of Myles Sanderson took place the same day that the identity of the victims was revealed by the police. The knife attack in the Cree Nation of James Smith and the village of Weldon left 10 dead and 18 injured last Sunday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police released on Wednesday the names and photographs of the ten murdered people, who are between 23 and 78 years old. According to the police, some were targeted, while others were hit randomly.
At a press conference Wednesday in Saskatoon, Mark Arcand, one of the Cree leaders of Saskatchewan, announced that he had lost his sister, Bonnie Burns, 48, as well as his nephew Gregory, 28.
His sister died outside her home, trying in vain to protect her son, he said. Another of his sons was stabbed in the neck, but he survived. The other boys of Bonnie Burns watched the tragic scene helplessly.
At his side at the press conference was Buggy Burns, totally devastated, his face flushed with tears: in the attacks, he lost both his wife and a son.
For the Burns family, like everyone else who has lost a loved one, the next step now is to collect the remains and prepare a ceremony to celebrate the lives of the deceased. “We still don’t know when this can be done,” continued Mark Arcand.
The devastation is so enormous, to heal from it will be a mountain to climb.
Mark Arcand
Relatives of the victims spoke in public for the first time on Wednesday.
On Facebook, Michael Brett Burns wrote that he had lost several members of his family. “There were bodies all over the ground, some were dead, some were badly injured from the stab wounds, they were bleeding. […] It was a war zone. In the eyes of those who were assaulted, you could see pain and suffering. »
Myles Sanderson’s mother gave an interview to CBC News. “I want to apologize for my son, my sons. We don’t know the full story, but I want to apologize to everyone who has been hurt and affected by this terrible situation,” she said.
The list of victims
- Thomas Burns, 23, of James Smith
- Carol Burns, 46, of James Smith
- Gregory Burns, 28, of James Smith
- Lydia Gloria Burns, 61, of James Smith
- Bonnie Burns, 48, of James Smith
- Earl Burns, 66, of James Smith
- Lana Head, 49, of James Smith
- Christian Head, 54, of James Smith
- Robert Sanderson, 49, of James Smith
- Wesley Petterson, 78, of Weldon.
In collaboration with The Canadian Press