Three people remain in critical condition, the Saskatchewan health authority said in a statement Tuesday, while seven are stable. Another seven have been discharged, the authority said. Police did not release information about the victims’ identities, but said they included men and women in different age groups, with the youngest in their early 20s. Shortly after the stabbings, authorities identified brothers Miles and Damien Sanderson as suspects. Miles Sanderson remains at large after Damien Sanderson was found dead a day after the attacks with wounds not believed to be self-inflicted, police said, without giving further details. Police have warned Sanderson could be injured but is still considered “armed and dangerous” and should not be approached. He is wanted on a warrant for three counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of breaking and entering a residence. While police said Monday they were operating under the impression that Sanderson was in the town of Regina, which is more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of the James Smith Cree Nation, they no longer believed he was still there, the police chief said of Regina. Evan Bray said Tuesday. “Today we received information that leads us to believe that he may no longer be in this community … although we do not know where he is, we are still searching not only within the city of Regina, but also expanding into the province as well,” he said Bray.
Some of the victims were apparently targeted, police say
It remains unclear what motivated the violence and how or if the brothers knew any of the victims. Some were apparently targeted while others may have been attacked randomly, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said in a Monday briefing. It is also unknown if the brothers carried out the attacks at the same time, according to Blackmore. The first stabbing was reported on the James Smith Cree Nation at 5:40 a.m. local time. Minutes later, several more calls came in about stabbings at other locations, police said. The nation has a population of about 3,400 people with about 1,800 members living on the reservation, according to its website. By 9:45 a.m., authorities were reporting casualties at multiple locations, including one in the village of Weldon. Although police did not release the names of the dead, one of them was identified as first responder Gloria Burns, according to Reuters. Burns was responding to a crisis call when she was caught up in the violence and killed, her brother Darryl Burns told Reuters, although the agency did not say whether the call was related to the stabbings. “She was butchered,” 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. However, police said Monday it was unclear whether Miles Sanderson was involved. “It’s an avenue of investigation that we’re following, but we can’t say definitively at this point,” Blackmore said.
The suspect had a “lengthy” criminal record and was released by the parole board
Miles Sanderson was described as being about 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing about 240 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. On Tuesday, police released an updated photo of him. Blackmore previously said Sanderson had warrants out for his arrest before the stabbings. “Miles’ record goes back many years and includes property and person crimes,” Blackmore said, without elaborating on the alleged crimes. “His actions have shown that he is violent and that is why we continue to emphasize people to remain vigilant,” Blackmore added. Sanderson was granted statutory parole by the Parole Board of Canada, according to a decision made on February 1, 2022. The board said in the decision that it did not believe Sanderson would pose a danger to the public if released. The decision noted his lengthy criminal history and that he was evaluated by a psychologist for a “moderate risk of violence.” “Your criminal history is very troubling, including the use of violence and weapons related to your index offenses, and your history of domestic violence that victimized the family, including your children, and not,” the decision reads. CNN’s Paula Newton and Chuck Johnston contributed to this report.
