Suspects on the run after Canada stabbing rampage

Canadian police issued warrants on Monday for the arrest of two fugitives who are the target of a massive manhunt after allegedly carrying out a stabbing spree that left 10 people dead and 18 wounded. 

The killings in the remote James Smith Cree Nation Indigenous community and the town of Weldon in Saskatchewan province in western Canada are among the deadliest incidents of mass violence to ever hit the nation.

Police have been scouring Saskatchewan and two neighboring provinces for the men, whose motives remain unclear, since early Sunday.

Evan Bray, police chief of provincial capital Regina, said that the two suspects may hiding out in the city — 300 kilometers (185 miles) from the site of the attack — after suspected sightings in the area.

They “are still at large, despite relentless efforts” to locate them, Bray said.

“There’s a lot of grief. There’s a lot of anxiety in our province and in our communities,” he added, vowing to continue the pursuit until the suspects are caught.

Federal police announced several murder, attempted murder and burglary charges have been laid against the pair, adding that “further charges are anticipated as the investigation progresses.”

Authorities have released few details of the crimes, except for descriptions of the alleged attackers they say fled in a vehicle.

They have been identified as Myles and Damien Sanderson, aged 30 and 31 respectively, both with black hair and brown eyes. 

Myles Sanderson was also wanted for breaching parole. Public broadcaster CBC said he vanished in May after serving part of a five-year sentence for assault and robbery.

In a video address in Ottawa, after ordering the flag on parliament lowered in memory of the victims, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the attacks were shocking and heartbreaking.

“This kind of violence has no place in our country,” he said. “Sadly, over these past years, tragedies like these have become all too commonplace.”

Since 2017, Canada has witnessed a rampaging gunman masquerading as a policeman kill 22 people in Nova Scotia, another kill six worshippers at a Quebec City mosque, and a driver of a van kill 11 pedestrians in Toronto.

Residents of the James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon spoke of their shock and devastation, and have identified two of the victims as a 77-year-old widower and a 49-year-old mother of two.

Weldon’s Diane Shier told the daily Saskatoon Star Phoenix her neighbor — the widower — lived with his adult grandson, who hid in the basement and called police.

“It was about 7:30 am. My husband was in the garden. He saw police cars and an ambulance come to town. It’s a little town. This is terrible, terrible. We’ve still got our doors locked, staying inside, not going out,” she told the newspaper.

Fellow resident Ruby Works said the killings would haunt the town.

“No one in this town is ever going to sleep again. They’re going to be terrified to open their door,” Works said.

Another resident, Robert Rush, said he had left his granddaughter at home to go buy a birthday cake for his wife. “I gave her two guns and a bat,” he said.

Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said that authorities believe some of the victims were targeted and others were attacked randomly.

Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron lamented “the unspeakable violence that claimed the lives of innocent people.”

In a statement, he blamed “harmful illegal drugs (that) invade our communities” for the destruction.

Blackmore said “maximum” police resources were being deployed for the search for the suspects across Saskatchewan and neighboring Alberta and Manitoba provinces.

“We are using every human, investigational and technological resource we have available to locate and arrest the persons responsible for this tragedy,” she said.

Forensic teams could be seen in broadcast images combing 13 crime scenes in the Indigenous community and Weldon for clues, as the manhunt across a huge region continued.

The Red Cross, meanwhile, told AFP it was helping provide support to victims’ families and the affected communities.

Foreign leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, as well as Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid sent messages of condolences, calling the attack “horrific,” “brutal” and “senseless.”