OTTAWA, Sept 6 (Reuters) – Canadian police urged residents of the James Smith Cree Nation to stay indoors and on alert on Tuesday after reports of a possible sighting of the man wanted in a weekend stabbing that killed 10 people and shocked a country where mass violence is rare. CBC News reported a heavy police presence on the aboriginal reserve in Saskatchewan, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) south of the provincial capital Regina, as the manhunt for the suspect entered its third day. Hours later, however, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said their “investigation indicated” that the suspect, Miles Sanderson, 30, was “not in the community” at the refuge and that authorities were still looking for him. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Sanderson remained at large and was possibly injured, police said after investigators found his accused accomplice and older brother, Damien Sanderson, 31, dead in a grassy area of the James Smith Cree Nation on Monday. The pair are suspected of killing 10 people and wounding 18 others in a knife attack Sunday on the James Smith Cree reserve and the nearby village of Weldon, rocking an indigenous community of 3,400 people in one of the deadliest attacks in modern Canadian history. read more On Monday night, Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said authorities were focusing their search for the surviving suspect in the provincial capital, based on the latest information. On Tuesday the direction of the manhunt appeared to be changing as RCMP in Saskatchewan issued an emergency alert saying they were responding to reports that the suspect had been spotted on the James Smith Cree Reserve and warning residents to evacuate. The alert was updated about three hours later to say that Sanderson was not found there, that his whereabouts remained unknown and to urge the public to “take appropriate precautions.” At an event in Vancouver, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged residents to pay attention to local authorities. “All Canadians stand with the people of Saskatchewan at this time,” he added.
MOTIVATION UNCERTAIN
Authorities have not provided any possible motive for the attacks. Police said some of the victims appear to have been targeted, while others were apparently accidental. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/3cKaBP0) Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers on the James Smith Cree Nation discuss after several people were killed and injured in a knife rampage on the reserve and the nearby town of Weldon, Saskatchewan, Canada September 5, 2022. REUTERS/David Stobbe/ File Photo read more Some First Nation leaders have linked the killings to drug use, but police have not identified drugs or alcohol as a factor. The stabbings have caused “immeasurable anxiety and panic” in the community, leaders of a group of 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan said in a statement Monday, pleading with members of the public to come forward with any information. Ivor Wayne Burns, a resident of the James Smith Cree Nation, said the Sanderson brothers belonged to First Nations communities and were under the influence of drugs at the time of the crimes. Miles Sanderson was considered armed and dangerous, RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said. Sanderson has been wanted as a fugitive since May, when he stopped seeing his parole officer after being released from prison for assault, robbery and other offences, CBC News reported. The CBC, citing Canadian Parole Board documents, said Sanderson had amassed a criminal record of 59 convictions over two decades. Asked at a briefing Tuesday about reports that Sanderson had been illegally free for several months, Trudeau told reporters, “We’re still in crisis mode.” “Over the past two days, we’ve been focused on doing everything we can to keep people safe,” he added. Police said they are investigating whether Sanderson could have also killed his brother and suffered injuries that could have caused him to seek medical attention. Few details were available about the victims, who included men and women of a wide age range. Local people said a mother of two, a 77-year-old widow and a first responder were among the victims. nL1N30C1CA] Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and Steve Scherer in Vancouver. Written by Doina Chiacu and Steve Gorman. Editing by Lincoln Feast, Deepa Babington and Nick Zieminski Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
