Suspects Still At Large For Deadly Stabbings In Saskatchewan

R.C.M.P have intensified the hunt for suspected attackers Damien Sanderson and Miles Sanderson

Suspects Damien Sanderson and Miles Sanderson, wanted in the stabbings leaving ten dead and more than 15 wounded in the hospital, are still at large.

On September 4th, 2022, at 5:40 am, the Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police (R.C.M.P) Divisional Operational Communications Center, or our D.O.C.C., received a call reporting a stabbing on the James Smith Cree Nation. Additional stabbings were reported in different parts of the community within minutes of the D.O.C.C receiving the first call.

Within minutes of the first set of calls, multiple R.C.M.P officers got immediately dispatched to the locations where the stabbings had been reported. As more information began to pour into R.C.M.P D.O.C.C, the people of James Smith Cree Nation were shocked about what was happening within the community.

According to the R.C.M.P update, at 7:12 am, Saskatchewan R.C.M.P issued a Dangerous Persons Alert to James Smith Cree Nation residents and surrounding communities – including Candle Lake, Prince Albert, Melfort, Humboldt and Rosthern.

At 8:20, the Dangerous Persons Alert was extended to the entire Province of Saskatchewan, as the investigation confirmed the two suspects – Damian Sanderson and Myles Sanderson – were travelling in a vehicle.

At 11:25, we sent requests to Manitoba R.C.M.P. and Alberta R.C.M.P. to extend the Dangerous Persons Alert to the residents of their provinces. R.C.M.P stressed the suspects were armed and dangerous and some of their victims may have been known acquaintances, while the others were random.

As of now, where the two suspects are, is unknown. Additional resources have been dispatched to Saskatchewan from provincial and federal levels of government.

“I am shocked and devastated by the horrific attacks today in James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, Saskatchewan, that claimed the lives of 10 people and injured many more.

“As Canadians, we mourn with everyone affected by this tragic violence, and with the people of Saskatchewan. We also wish a full and quick recovery to those injured.” Said, The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau

The deadly attack on the province has been the worst in Saskatchewan’s history. With no apparent signs of the whereabouts of the two Sandersons, the residents of legitimate concerns about being frightened, especially since most schools are set to reopen this week.

Apprehending the two suspects may prove to be a challenge for law enforcement. Considering it got reported earlier today, Saskatoon police officers have been searching for suspect Myles Sanderson since May.

Sanders had been serving a five-year federal prison term for multiple offences, including armed robbery, assault and uttering threats. Sanderson was granted early parole and vanished, severing all ties with his parole officers and correctional facilities.

The last time a mass killing happened in Canada was in Nova Scotia on April 18–19, 2020. Gunman Gabriel Wortman killed 22 people before being shot and killed by the R.C.M.P. That shooting surpasses the 14 victims killed in the 1989 Polytechnique massacre in Montreal, marking it the deadliest gun-related incident on Canadian soil.

As the search continues, all eyes, thoughts, and prayers are with the victims’ families, the James Smith Cree Nation community and the people of Saskatchewan.