The 10 people killed in a weekend stabbing spree in Western Canada included a devoted mother who died in her front yard while six youths were at home, a relative said on Wednesday as the search for a fugitive suspect entered its fourth day.
The suspect in Sunday’s killings, Myles Sanderson, 30, remained at large despite an extensive manhunt after the rampage in the indigenous community, about 320 km (200 miles) north of Saskatchewan’s provincial capital, Regina.
During an emotional news conference, Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand revealed that his sister Bonnie Burns, 48, and his 28-year-old nephew, Gregory Burns, were stabbed to death in their front yard on the James Smith Cree Nation reserve between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Sunday morning.
The attacks were among the deadliest in Canada’s modern history and have rattled a country unaccustomed to acts of mass violence. Police said some of the victims appeared to have been targeted, while others were apparently random.
Burns’ other three sons and two foster children were home at the time of the attacks.
“She was protecting her son. She was protecting these three little boys. This is why she’s a hero. She’s a true matriarch,” Arcand said. Thirteen-year-old Dayson was stabbed in the neck but survived, Arcand said.
The fugitive and his brother, Damien Sanderson, are suspected of stabbing 10 people to death and wounding 18 on the James Smith Cree reserve and nearby village of Weldon on Sunday, shaking an indigenous community of 3,400 people.
Damian Sanderson, 31, was found dead in a grassy area of the reserve on Monday. Police said they were investigating whether the younger sibling might have killed his brother and possibly sustained injuries that need medical attention.
Some elders of the community have linked the horrific incident to drugs, though police have yet to confirm that.
The Saskatchewan coroner’s office and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) early on Wednesday released the identities of the 10 victims killed. They include men and women aged 23 to 78.
Authorities did not release information on the 18 people wounded, except to say one was a young teen and the rest adults.
The tribal chief, Arcand, said a third young boy in Burns’ home hid behind a high chair while watching things unfold. The community has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for Bonnie and Brian Burns’ sons.
“During this difficult time we are just climbing a mountain now as a family … and that mountain is the devastation of what happened to our family member,” Arcand said.
NO MOTIVE
Authorities have offered no motive for the attacks.
Ivor Wayne Burns, a resident of the James Smith Cree, said the Sanderson brothers belonged to First Nations communities and were under the influence of drugs at the time of the crimes.
The RCMP issued an alert on Tuesday of a possible sighting of the surviving brother in the indigenous reserve of James Smith Cree Nation, but then said its investigation had determined the suspect was elsewhere.
The Regina police chief, Evan Bray, said on Tuesday that the manhunt had expanded from that city into the province.
Ten of the wounded were in the hospital as of Tuesday afternoon, seven in stable condition and three critical, health authorities said.
Myles Sanderson has been wanted as a fugitive since May when he stopped meeting his parole officer after serving time for assault, robbery and other offenses, and had a criminal record of 59 convictions over two decades, CBC News reported.
Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino said the board will investigate the decision to release Sanderson on parole.