“I’m devastated, I’m angry,” said Melissa Harp, a Weldon resident whose brother-in-law was killed on Sunday. Wes Petterson, 77, was among 10 victims of stabbing attacks in the James Smith First Nation and village of Weldon, Saskatchewan.
Posted at 11:52
Updated at 2:43 p.m.
“I can’t understand why these men would do something like that,” adds Ms.me harp. “The whole community is shaken […] you think your community is safe, and it’s not, now you don’t feel safe anymore,” she blurts out.
“Investigators have confirmed that there were ten deceased victims,” said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) early Monday afternoon. “We plan to release more details about the victims later today. The number of injured was however revised upwards, from 15 to 18 people.
Neither the RCMP nor First Nation authorities had confirmed the names of the victims as of Monday morning, but several other media outlets identified Mr. Petterson, citing other Weldon residents.
Mme Harp says he heard the news from his daughter. According to her, Mr Petterson was a “good-hearted” man and a “pillar of the community”.
“This is the destruction we face when harmful illegal drugs invade our communities,” Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) leader Bobby Cameron said in a statement late Sunday. “We call on all authorities to follow the direction of Chiefs and Councils and their members to create safer and healthier communities for our people. »
Officials from the James Smith First Nation and the FSIN were discussing next steps and had no further comment Monday morning. A press conference is scheduled to take place in the coming days, FSIN spokeswoman Tina Pelletier said.
The manhunt continues
“Unfortunately, both men remain at large despite the continued efforts of the RCMP and the Regina Police Service,” City Police Chief Evan Bray said in a video on Twitter Monday morning. “We will not stop this investigation until we have these two in custody,” he assured, inviting the public to contact the police to share information allowing the suspects to be arrested. .
The suspects, Damien Sanderson, 31, and Myles Sanderson, 30, now face multiple charges of first degree murder and attempted murder, among other charges. “Warrants for their arrest have been issued for them,” the RCMP said in a statement Monday. “Further charges are expected as the investigation progresses. »
Damien is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 155 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. Myles is 6-foot-1 and weighs 240 pounds. He has brown hair and eyes.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY RCMP, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Suspects Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson
They could be traveling in a black Nissan Rogue with license plate SK 119 MPI, according to information released by the RCMP on Sunday.
The Sandersons were reportedly spotted in the vehicle shortly before noon in Regina, the provincial capital. An RCMP alert recommends exercise caution in the area, and not approach suspects, but report their presence by dialing 911.
“The sinews of war in all this is the cooperation of the public,” opines Pierre-Yves Bourduas, former deputy commissioner of the RCMP. It is also important “to have constant communication with the municipal police forces” in this type of operation, he continues.
Although the RCMP has deployed a “maximum of resources” to apprehend the suspects, it is undoubtedly “overwhelmed”, according to Mr. Bourduas, in particular because of the scale of the events. Federal police were investigating 13 crime scenes on Sunday, Saskatchewan Detachment Commander Rhonda Blackmore told a news conference.