Second suspect in Canada mass stabbing dies

() — Myles Sanderson, the other suspect in the Saskatchewan, Canada, mass stabbing, died after suffering medical problems following his arrest on Wednesday, according to RCMP Deputy Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore.

Sanderson was arrested Wednesday after a three-day manhunt, according to a tweet of the Canadian RCMP in Saskatchewan.

The RCMP tweeted that Myles Sanderson was taken into custody around 3:30pm local time. Sanderson had been considered by police to be “armed and dangerous”.

“There is no longer a risk to public safety in connection with this investigation,” the RCMP tweeted.

Sanderson’s arrest came three days after 10 people were killed in the mass stabbing and 18 others were injured. The victims’ ages ranged from 23 to 78, authorities said.

Sanderson and his brother, Damien Sanderson, were identified as suspects shortly after the attacks. Damien Sanderson was found dead a day after the attacks with injuries not believed to be self-inflicted, police said.

Myles Sanderson was wanted on three counts of first degree murder, one count of attempted murder and breaking and entering of a residence.

Police reported a possible sighting of Sanderson in the James Smith Cree Nation on Tuesday, but later determined he was not in the community. The search has expanded to the entire province of Saskatchewan, authorities said.

All but one of the victims are from James Smith’s Cree Nation

The 10 victims are between the ages of 23 and 78, and all but one are from the James Smith Cree Nation Indian community, according to authorities.

The Saskatchewan Coroner’s Service and the RCMP provided the names and ages of the victims in a statement Wednesday, but declined to confirm their relationships. Six of the victims share the last name Burns, two share the last name Head, and one shares the last name of the two suspects in the attacks.

The victims were identified as:

• Thomas Burns, 23 years old
• Carol Burns, 46 years old
• Gregory Burns, 28 years old
• Lydia Gloria Burns, 61 years old
• Bonnie Burns, 48 ​​years old
• Earl Burns, 66 years old
• Lana Head, 49 years old
• Christian Head, 54 years old
• Robert Sanderson, 49 years old
• Wesley Petterson, 78 years old

Petterson is from Weldon, Saskatchewan, while the other nine victims are from the James Smith Cree Nation.

Several relatives of some of the victims spoke at a news conference Wednesday about their loved ones. Saskatoon Tribal Chief Mark Arcand identified Bonnie Burns as his sister and Gregory Burns as his son, saying another of his children was stabbed but survived.

“Let me be honest in saying this, we really don’t know what happened. We only know that members of our family were killed in their own home, in their yard,” Arcand said.

In addition, 18 people were injured in the knife attacks, but authorities will not release their identities. “We can confirm that one teenager was injured and the remaining injured are all adults. We will not confirm other specific ages,” the agencies said.

Three patients were in critical condition and seven were stable as of Tuesday, according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

The victims’ information was released as Canadian police continued their search for one of two suspects in the brutal attacks, which spanned 13 different crime scenes on the James Smith Cree Nation and in Weldon, a nearby rural town.

The motive for the stabbings is unknown.

Flowers placed outside the home where one of the stabbing victims was found in Weldon, Saskatchewan.

It is not clear what motivated the violence and how or if the brothers knew any of the victims.

Apparently, some victims were chosen, while others may have been targeted at random, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said at a briefing Monday.

It is also unknown if the brothers carried out the attacks at the same time, according to Blackmore.

The first stabbing was reported to the James Smith Cree Nation at 5:40 a.m. Minutes later, several more calls came in about stabbings elsewhere, police said.

The nation has a population of around 3,400 people with around 1,800 members living on the reservation, according to its website.

As of 9:45 a.m., authorities reported casualties at multiple locations, including one in Weldon.

Lydia Gloria Burns, a first responder, was responding to a crisis call when she was caught up in the violence and was killed, her brother Darryl Burns told Reuters, though the agency did not say whether the call was related to the stabbings.

“She was massacred,” her brother Ivor Burns told Reuters.

The discovery of Damien Sanderson’s body a day after the attacks also raised questions about his brother’s involvement in his death. But police said Monday it was not clear if Myles Sanderson was involved.

“It’s an investigative avenue that we’re pursuing, but we can’t say that definitively at this point,” Blackmore said.

The suspect had a “long” criminal history and was released by the parole board.

Myles Sanderson

Blackmore previously said that Sanderson had warrants for his arrest before the stabbings occurred.

“Myles’ history goes back several years and includes crimes against both property and people,” Blackmore said, without elaborating on the alleged crimes.

Sanderson was paroled from the Parole Board of Canada, according to a ruling issued on February 1, 2022.

Under Canadian law, the Correctional Service of Canada must release most offenders to supervision after they have served two-thirds of their sentence, if they have not already been paroled. Offenders serving life sentences are not eligible for legal release.

The board said in the ruling that it did not believe Sanderson would present a risk to the public if released. The decision did take note of his long criminal history and that he was assessed by a psychologist for a “moderate risk of violence.”

“Her criminal history is highly concerning, including the use of violence and weapons related to her primary crimes, and her history of domestic violence that victimized family members, including her children, and non-family members,” the decision says.

In a statement, the Parole Board said it “extends its thoughts to the victims, their families, and all those who have been affected as a result of these horrific and senseless acts of violence.”

Citing the Privacy Act, the board said it could not discuss the details of a criminal’s case.

‘s Paula Newton, Tina Burnside, Chuck Johnston, Michelle Watson and Cara Lynn Clarkson contributed to this report.