Canada Mass Stabbing: 1 Suspect Found Dead, While His Brother On The Run

One of the two suspects in a mass stabbing incident in Weldon, Saskatchewan was found dead. Canadian police announced Monday that 31-year-old Damien Sanderson was found dead near the area of the stabbings with injuries that appear to be not self-inflicted. Authorities believe his brother Myles Sanderson, 30, has also sustained injuries but is still on the run in the provincial capital of Regina.

According to CNN, police said that Damien Sanderson’s body was located outdoors in a dense grassy area near a house. Investigators are also looking into searching the home as Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)'s Commanding Officer Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said that the injuries found on Damien’s body are not believed to be self-inflicted at this point, as they are still uncertain of the exact cause of his death.

The body of Damien was discovered on the second day of a large-scale manhunt for the brothers, who are prime suspects in a series of stabbings in an indigenous community the James Smith Cree Nation, and in the town of Weldon in Saskatchewan, leaving 18 people injured and 10 dead. Police said that some of the victims were specifically targeted while others were chosen at random. As yet, no motives have been given for the crime, however, senior indigenous leaders believe that drugs are likely involved.

Darryl Burns, a resident of James Smith Cree Nation, alongside his brother Ivor Wayne Burns noted that their sister, Gloria Lydia Burns, 62, who was a first responder of a crisis response team, was killed during the incident while responding to a distress call from a house. Authorities added she was likely caught in the rampage. The Burns brothers are pointing their fingers at drugs and alcohol for their sister’s death.

They also said that a murder-suicide occurred in the same area three years ago that involved his granddaughter and her boyfriend, and a double homicide last year. They then referred to the current stabbing incident, and said abuse of drugs and alcohol is the main reason behind the deaths.

Fear has gripped the working class and rural communities of Saskatchewan as one suspect still remains at large. One witness who lost a family member in the stabbings recalled seeing injured people with bloody stab wounds scattered across the Indigenous reserve. Authorities have advised all residents returning from Labor Holiday trips to be on high alert for any suspicious activity around their homes before entering.