- Myles Sanderson’s death came two days after the body of Damien Sanderson was found.
- The stabbing rampage that set off the manhunt for the Sanderson brothers took place Sunday on the James Smith Cree Nation.
- Myles Sanderson is Indigenous and grew up in the Cree reserve.
The capture and death of the second suspect in the stabbing rampage that left 10 people dead in and around a small Canadian Indigenous community has ended an intense search but added questions to mysteries surrounding the carnage.
Authorities said police units responding to a report of a stolen vehicle near the town of Rosthern forced the vehicle Myles Sanderson was driving into a ditch Wednesday afternoon. He was detained and a knife was found inside the vehicle, said Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
“Shortly after his arrest he went into medical distress,” Blackmore said, and a nearby emergency medical team was called to the scene. “All lifesaving measures that we are capable of were taken.”
Sanderson was rushed to a hospital in Saskatoon, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy was planned, Blackmore said.
An official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said Sanderson died of self-inflicted injuries.
MISSING SUSPECT DIES:Both suspects in the Canadian stabbing spree have died
Independent probe of Sanderson’s death
Blackmore said Saskatoon police and the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team would conduct an independent investigation into Sanderson’s death. Marco Mendicino, Canada’s public safety minister, also promised investigations.
“You have questions. We have questions,” he told reporters.
Myles Sanderson’s death came two days after the body of Damien Sanderson was found in a field near the scene of Sunday’s knife rampage. Police are investigating whether Myles Sanderson killed his brother.
Attack left 10 dead, 18 wounded
The rampage that set off the manhunt for the Sanderson brothers happened Sunday on the James Smith Cree Nation reserve and the nearby town of Weldon. Authorities received the first emergency call at about 5:40 a.m. Within a couple of hours the toll had reached 10 dead and 18 wounded. Both brothers were members of the Indigenous reserve.
Later that day, Myles Sanderson was seen driving in the provincial capital of Regina, 200 miles south of Weldon and about 100 miles from the Montana border, authorities said. He was arrested Wednesday in Rosthern, about 80 miles southwest of the reserve.
Nine victims were from reserve
All but one of the 10 people killed in the attacks were from the James Smith Cree Nation reserve. One was Earl Burns, 66 – court documents said Sanderson attacked in-laws Earl Burns and Joyce Burns with a knife in 2015, later pleading guilty to assault. Also killed were Gloria Burns, 61; Bonnie Burns, 48; Carol Burns, 46; Gregory Burns, 28; Thomas Burns, 23; Christian Head, 54; Lana Head, 49; and Robert Sanderson, 49.
The other person killed was Wesley Patterson, 78, from Weldon.
Gloria Burns’ brother, Darryl Burns, hugged Damien Sanderson’s widow at a news conference Wednesday, telling her the family was ready to forgive.
“Damien was caught up in the life,” Darryl Burns said. “He was caught up in a moment. But hearing the stories of Damien, he tried to stop it, he tried to stop it, but he paid with his life.”
Authorities have declined to say whether any of the victims were related, but The New York Times reported that all six with the Burns last name were members of an extended family.
Police don’t know what prompted the stabbing spree. “Now that Myles is deceased we may never have an understanding of that motivation,” Blackmore said.
Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
