Chief says healing needed after stabbing deaths and four day manhunt
Posted September 8, 2022 6:51 am.
Last Updated September 8, 2022 5:21 pm.
The chief of a Saskatchewan First Nation shattered by a deadly series of stabbings says acts of violence must stop.
Chief Wally Burns of the James Smith Cree Nation spoke alongside other First Nations leaders this morning, one day after RCMP arrested a suspect.
Burns says words cannot express the effects of what has happened, and the many families who have lost loved ones need support.
The key suspect in the rampage that left 10 people dead and 18 injured died in police custody following a four-day manhunt.
RCMP say Myles Sanderson went into medical distress shortly after being pursued in a stolen vehicle and arrested in a ditch beside a highway north of Saskatoon.
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Police caught wind of Sanderson’s whereabouts on Wednesday after getting reports of a break-and-enter and a stolen truck in the town of Wakaw, about 40 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, on Wednesday afternoon. Police later spotted the white Chevy Avalanche speeding on a rural highway near Rosthern.
“The vehicle was directed off the road and into a nearby ditch,” says RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore. “Police officers surrounded the vehicle and through verbal identification, confirmed the identity to be Myles Sanderson.”
Blackmore says the suspect was arrested by police at the scene and then went into medical distress. She said officers performed life-saving measures and he was transported by ambulance to a Saskatoon hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“I can’t speak to the specific manner of death,” she said.
The only other suspect, Sanderson’s brother Damien, was found dead Monday and RCMP say the motive behind the killings may never be truly known.
The Indigenous leaders were joined by RCMP and some federal cabinet ministers, including Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino.
Police and investigators are seen at the side of the road outside Rosthern, Sask., on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Malone
There are reports his injuries may have been self-inflicted. The RCMP say officers located a knife inside the stolen truck when they apprehended Sanderson.
The RCMP have requested an external investigation by Saskatoon police into the circumstances surrounding Sanderson’s death.
Sanderson was wanted on charges, including first-degree murder. He and his brother, 31-year-old Damien Sanderson, were suspects in the stabbing rampage that left 10 people dead and 18 injured on the James Smith Cree Nation and a neighbouring village on Sunday.
Damien was found dead earlier this week, police say his injuries were not self-inflicted.
The 10 victims in Sunday’s attacks, who range in age from 23 to 78, are Thomas Burns, Carol Burns, Gregory Burns, Lydia Gloria Burns, Bonnie Burns, Earl Burns, Lana Head, Christian Head, and Robert Sanderson of the First Nation and Wesley Petterson of Weldon.
Police have not revealed the relationship between those killed. The motive behind the stabbings remains unknown.
The First Nation gathered for the first wake since the attacks on Wednesday evening as community members prepare for more in the coming days.
Three teepees have been set up behind the James Smith Cree Nation school. They were put up following the stabbing attacks for people to have ceremony, find healing and honour those who lost their lives.
As community members gathered for Thursday’s speeches behind the school, many hugged and shook hands. Many of the women wore Indigenous ribbon skirts.
