Damien Sanderson & Myles Sanderson go on Saskatchewan stabbing spree in Canada leaving 10 dead, 15 injured in 13 separate locations. Indigenous locals targeted. No known motive as the men remained at large.
Why? At least 10 people are dead and 15 more have been hospitalized after two men went on a stabbing spree across Saskatchewan, Canada on Sunday, as police sought the whereabouts of two suspects who come Monday morning remained at large amid a massive manhunt.
Damien Sanderson, 31, and Myles Sanderson, 30 — were last seen traveling in the Regina area in a black Nissan Rogue, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). According to Reuters, the relationship between the two suspects who shared the same surname was unknown.
The victims were found in 13 separate crime scene locations in the central Canadian province of Saskatchewan — largely within the James Smith Cree Nation, home to a large Indigenous community, and the tiny village of Weldon, northeast of Saskatoon, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said.
The two men allegedly targeted some of their victims, while others were random, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP Rhonda Blackmore said.
‘It appears that some of the victims may have been targeted and some may be random — so to speak to a motive would be extremely difficult at this point in time,’ Blackmore said at a press conference.
Did Myles kill his brother? Saskatchewan suspect found stabbed to death, 2nd suspect still at large
Are stabbings drug related?
Police began receiving first reports of stabbings on the First Nation community before 6 a.m. local time. As the day wore on, more reports of stabbings came in, prompting the province of Saskatchewan to put out emergency alerts and James Smith Cree Nation to declare a state of emergency.
Two of the 10 fatalities were named as Lana Head, a mother of two daughters, and Wes Petterson, a 77-year-old widower.
Police advised local residents to take precautions and consider sheltering in place. The two suspects — who were last spotted in Regina, about 200 miles south of where the attacks originated, around noon local time — were considered armed and dangerous.
Of note, the chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations suggested the stabbings could be drug related as it emerged that Myles was listed as ‘unlawfully at large’ by police in May.
The emergency alerts were extended to cover the neighboring provinces of Manitoba and Alberta as well as Saskatchewan by midday. All three provinces share a southern border with the US.
Sunday’s mass stabbings mark one of the deadliest mass killings in Canada’s history. No known motive for the violence was immediately known.