10 dead in stabbing rampage in remote Canada communities

OTTAWA: At least 10 people were killed and more than a dozen others were injured in stabbings in two remote Canadian communities Sunday, police said, as they launched a manhunt for two suspects.

Photo: Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore speaks while Regina Police Chief Evan Bray, left, looks on during a press conference at RCMP "F" Division Headquarters in Regina on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. MICHAEL BELL /THE CANADIAN PRESS

Police responding to emergency calls found 10 dead in the Indigenous community of James Smith Cree Nation and the nearby town of Weldon, Saskatchewan, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore told a news conference.

“Several additional victims have been injured, 15 of which at this point have been transported to various hospitals,” she said.

Yet more victims may have made their way to hospitals on their own, she added.

“We are actively looking for the two suspects,” she said.

They have been identified as Damien and Myles Sanderson and described as 30- and 31-year-old males, both with black hair and brown eyes.

The suspects fled in a black Nissan Rogue, Blackmore added, and several checkpoints have been set up on highways and roads across the region, as “maximum” police resources were deployed for the search.

Photo: Investigators gather in front of a crime scene in Weldon, Sask., Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. HEYWOOD YU/THE CANADIAN PRESS

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The James Smith Cree Nation, with a population of 2,500, declared a local state of emergency, while many residents of Saskatchewan province were urged to shelter in place.

“It is horrific what has happened in our province today,” Blackmore said.

Weldon resident Diane Shier told local media her neighbor, a man who lived with his grandson, was killed. “I am very upset because I lost a good neighbor,” she told the Canadian Press.

A dangerous person alert had been issued in the morning in Saskatchewan, as police responded to “multiple stabbings (in) multiple locations” in the Indigenous community and the town of Weldon.

Blackmore said police received a call at 5:40 am (11:40 GMT) about a stabbing at the James Smith First Nation, followed quickly by more calls reporting further stabbings.

She said authorities believe “some of the victims were targeted by the suspects and others were attacked randomly.”

“To speak to a motive would be extremely difficult at this point in time,” she added.

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