Residents Urged To Shelter In Place After Suspect Allegedly Spotted

Topline

Canadian authorities asked residents in an indigenous community in Saskatchewan to shelter in place Tuesday, after receiving reports a suspect allegedly involved in a stabbing spree—which left 10 people dead and at least 18 injured—was spotted in the area, two days after one of the most deadly attacks in the country’s recent history.

Damien Sanderson, left, and Myles Sanderson have been identified as suspects in the stabbings.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Key Facts

Armed Canadian police surrounded a residence on the James Smith Cree First Nation reserve—where some of the stabbings took place—and sent an emergency alert to phones warning the suspect, 30-year-old Myles Sanderson, may have been seen in the area, according to the Associated Press.

Authorities said late Monday they found the body of 31-year-old Damien Sanderson, the other suspect and Myles Sanderson’s brother, outside a house on James Smith Cree First Nation.

The discovery came after authorities charged the pair with murder and other counts in connection to the stabbing attack.

Damien Sanderson’s injuries did not appear to be self-inflicted, and the coroner’s office will determine his cause of death, local officials said.

Police were first notified about a stabbing attack at 5:40 a.m. Sunday in the communities of James Smith Cree First Nation and Weldon, where authorities said suspects may have targeted some victims and stabbed others at random across 13 crime scenes.

Crucial Quote

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said late Sunday he was “shocked and devastated by the horrific attacks,” adding “we mourn with everyone affected by this tragic violence, and with the people of Saskatchewan.” Those responsible for the “abhorrent attacks” must be “fully brought to justice,” he said.

What We Don’t Know

The suspects’ motive. A statement from indigenous leaders suggested drugs may have played a role, with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, a group representing 74 First Nations in the province, saying the attacks are “the destruction we face when harmful illegal drugs invade our communities,” according to Reuters. Authorities are investigating the relationship between the two suspects and whether they were already known to police.

Surprising Fact

The attack was one of the deadliest in Canada since a Nova Scotia mass shooting in 2020 that left 22 people dead. The country quickly moved to tighten gun control laws after the massacre.

Key Background

The two suspects may have gone door-to-door to carry out the attack in the extremely remote location, according to the BBC, citing a local journalist on the scene. Multiple people were flown by helicopter to the province’s main hospital after the attack. James Smith Cree Nation and the village of Weldon are located in central Saskatchewan. Some 2,000 people live on the James Smith Cree Nation reserve, while Weldon has a population of roughly 200 people. The killings come after Canada has faced a reckoning over abuses toward indigenous people, including after mass graves containing the remains of more than 1,000 people, most of whom were children, were found in 2021 at three former residential schools indigenous children were forced to attend. Indigenous people comprise roughly 5% of Canada’s total population, but are twice as likely as non-indigenous Canadians to fall victim to violence, according to the Canadian government.