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Canada asks residents to shelter as stabbing suspect possibly sighted; PM says 'still in crisis mode'
Brothers Damien Sanderson, 31, and Myles Sanderson, 30, are suspects in the stabbing incident that killed 10 people and injured 18 others. However, police found Damien dead in a grassy region on Monday while Myles remains at large.
Canadian authorities on Tuesday urged residents in the James Smith Cree Nation to stay home as police scanned the area after reports of a possible sighting of the suspect in the recent stabbing spree wherein 10 people were killed. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Saskatchewan said it was responding to reports in an emergency alert that warned residents to immediately shelter in a secure location.
Police surrounded a home in the region, while authorities barricades roads heading into the indigenous reserve, The Associated Press reported.
The latest development of an emergency alert comes as a manhunt in search of the suspect entered its third day on Tuesday. Brothers Damien Sanderson, 31, and Myles Sanderson, 30, are suspects in the stabbing spree that wounded 18 people besides killing 10 on Sunday. However, police found Damien dead in a grassy area in James Smith Cree Nation on Monday while Myles remains on the run.
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the country is “very much still in crisis mode”. “We need to make sure that everyone stays safe,” he added during an event in Vancouver.
The PM also urged all Canadians to stand with the “people of Saskatchewan at this time”, Reuters reported.
Also Read | Canada stabbings: PM Justin Trudeau calls Saskatchewan attacks ‘horrific, heartbreaking’
The stabbing incident, one of the deadliest in Canada's modern history, has caused “immeasurable stress and panic” in the community, leaders from a group of 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan said in a statement on Monday, pleading for members of the public to come forward with any relevant information.
Police said some of the victims appeared to have been targeted, while others were apparently random. Some First Nation leaders, however, have linked the killings to drug use but police have not identified drugs or alcohol as a factor, Reuters reported.
The victims included a mother of two, a 77-year-old widower and a first responder.
What is known about the Sanderson brothers?
A resident of the James Smith Cree Nation, Ivor Wayne Burns said that the Sanderson brothers belonged to First Nations communities and were under the influence of drugs at the time of the stabbings.
CBC News reported that Myles has been wanted since May, when he stopped meeting his parole officer after being serving a sentence for robbery, mischief, uttering threats and assault. Assistant commissioner Rhonda Blackmore of the Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police said that the absconding brother was considered armed and dangerous.
The CBC News report further stated that over 20 years, Myles had as many as 59 convictions for various crimes.
Police said they are now probing if Myles killed his brother Damien as well, and sustained injuries that might cause him to seek medical help.
(With inputs from AFP)
