The manhunt is over and the crime may remain unexplained. The two suspects in the stabbing attacks that left 10 dead and 18 injured in stabbing attacks in Canada on Sunday are dead. The body of Damien Sanderson was discovered stabbed to death on Monday and his brother, Myles Sanderson, died after being arrested, Wednesday, September 7. Franceinfo summarizes what we know about these attacks.
Ten dead and at least 18 injured
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) received a first call on Sunday at 5:40 a.m. reporting a stabbing attack on James Smith Cree Nation territory. A local state of emergency was first declared in this locality, then extended to all of Saskatchewan.
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Residents of the province have been asked to stay home for safety. Police have recovered ten bodies in the James Smith Cree Nation Aboriginal community and the nearby town of Weldon, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore told a news conference.
Authorities are investigating “numerous crime scenes”, added the assistant commissioner. The Saskatchewan health authority said it activated emergency protocols to deal with the “a high number of critical patients”. Three helicopters and a medic were dispatched from Saskatoon and Regina to transport the stab victims. In a new report, the number of people injured rose from 15 to 18.
Two suspects identified
Two suspects have been identified: Damien and Myles Sanderson, two brothers aged 31 and 32. The two men allegedly escaped in a black Nissan Rogue, it was said. Rhonda Blackmore. “Their location and direction of movement is unknown, which is why we need everyone in the province to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.”she said.
The suspects were first reported in Regina, the provincial capital, located more than 300 kilometers to the south. The alert and search then spread to the neighboring provinces of Manitoba and Alberta. An arrest warrant was issued on Monday for the two individuals who have also been charged with murder and attempted murder.
Both suspects are dead
Monday, thee body of Damien Sanderson, who carried several “visible injuries”was discovered in the Aboriginal community at James Smith Cree Nation. He was found “in a grassy area, near a house”explained the Rhonda Blackmore. “We can’t say for sure how Damien died, but he may have been killed by his brother”she added.
Myles Sanderson was located and arrested on Wednesday, a hundred kilometers from the scene of the crime. By late afternoon, provincial police had announced his arrest on his Facebook account. “Shortly after his arrest, Myles Sanderson entered medical distress,” said the assistant commissioner without giving any further explanation for this malaise. The individual, who was armed with a knife at the time of his arrest, died. He was already known to have served a prison sentence of nearly five years for assault, theft and violence. He had been wanted since May for violating the terms of his parole.
Unexplained attacks
“Today’s attacks in Saskatchewan are horrific and heartbreaking. My thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones and those who have been injured.”reacted the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, on Twitter.
Today’s attacks in Saskatchewan are horrific and heartbreaking. My thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones and those who have been injured.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) September 4, 2022
These attacks are, for the moment, unexplained. The authorities believe that “some of the victims were targeted by the suspects and others were randomly attacked”detailed on Sunday Rhonda Blackmore. It’s too early, she says,ur address the motive for these attacks. For his part, the leader of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, Bobby Cameron, attributed the responsibility for these attacks to the “illegal drugs invading our communities”.
With the death of the two suspects, it will now be complicated to elucidate these attacks. “Now that Myles is deceased, we may never be able to understand his motives”observed Wednesday Rhonda Blackmore specifying that more than 120 interviews with relatives or witnesses had already been conducted, without this allowing to shed light on the passage to the act.