Stabbings Leave 10 Dead, 15 Injured In Rural Canada

Reuters reports:

Canadian police have launched a huge manhunt for two men suspected of stabbing at least 10 people to death in a rampage that has shocked the nation. Two suspects named as Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson are on the run and considered armed and dangerous.

Victims were found in 13 locations in the remote indigenous community James Smith Cree Nation and nearby Weldon. It is of the deadliest acts of mass violence Canada has seen. PM Justin Trudeau said it was “heartbreaking”.

At least 15 others were injured in the killing spree, with police urging residents to be extremely vigilant as they conduct a search across one of Canada’s largest and most remote regions.

NBC News reports:

Rhonda Blackmore, the commanding officer of the Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said it was one of the worst mass killings in the province’s history, if not the worst. “We believe some of the victims have been targeted by the suspects, and others have been attacked randomly,” she said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.

The first attack was reported at 5:40 a.m., when the RMCP’s Melfort detachment was dispatched to a stabbing report, Blackmore said. By 7:12 a.m., police had the names of two suspects, but it was not clear what led them to believe Damian Sanderson and Myles Sanderson could be the attackers. The relationship between the pair was not clear.

The CBC reports:



James Smith Cree Nation has a population around 1,000 people, and is located about 60 kilometres southeast of Prince Albert and about 300 kilometres north of Regina. The village of Weldon, with a population just shy of 200 people, is about 25 kilometres southwest of James Smith Cree Nation.

Police checkpoints have been set up throughout Saskatchewan, at least from Prince Albert to Regina, with officers checking identification.

In the wake of the stabbing spree, both the prime minister and the province’s premier offered their condolences on social media. Scott Moe thanked police, first responders and the health-care professionals who are treating the victims as well.