At least 10 people were killed and 15 injured in a shooting spree in an Indigenous community and a nearby town in Canada’s Saskatchewan province on Sunday, police said as they launched a manhunt for two suspects.
Police responding to 911 calls found 10 dead in the remote Indigenous community of James Smith Cree Nation and the nearby town of Weldon, Saskatchewan, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said at a news conference.
She said at least 15 other people were injured and taken to hospitals.
“We are actively looking for the two suspects,” she added.
The suspected attackers fled in a vehicle and were identified as Myles and Damien Sanderson, aged 30 and 31 respectively, both with black hair and brown eyes.
The James Smith Cree Nation of 2,500 people declared a local emergency, while many Saskatchewan residents were urged to seek shelter locally.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the attacks “horrific and heartbreaking” in a tweet, expressed his condolences and urged residents to heed the authorities’ advice.
Blackmore said authorities believe “some of the victims were attacked by the suspects and others were attacked indiscriminately.”
“It would be extremely difficult to speak on a motive at this point,” she added.
Weldon resident Diane Shier told local media her neighbor, a man who was living with his grandson, was killed in the attack.
“I’m very upset because I lost a good neighbor,” she told the Canadian press.
– “Maximum” police resources –
A Dangerous Persons Alert had been issued in Saskatchewan earlier in the morning as police responded to multiple stabbings at multiple locations in the Indigenous community and Weldon.
Police received a call at 5:40 a.m. (11:40 GMT) about a stabbing at the James Smith Cree Nation, which was quickly followed by more calls reporting more stabbings in a total of 13 different locations, Blackmore said.
Multiple checkpoints have been set up on highways and roads across the region as “maximum” police resources have been deployed to search for the suspects, she added.
After reported sightings of the two men in Regina, the provincial capital more than 300 kilometers (185 miles) south, the alert and search extended to the neighboring provinces of Manitoba and Alberta – a vast region almost half the size of Europe.
In Regina, Police Chief Evan Bray said authorities were on high alert and additional officers were deployed as sports fans descended on the city for a sold-out weekend Labor Day game between the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The Saskatchewan Health Department told AFP in a statement it had activated emergency protocols to treat “a large number of critical patients.”
“We can confirm that multiple people are being triaged and cared for across multiple locations and that additional staff have been requested to respond to this situation,” it added.
Three helicopters were dispatched from Saskatoon and Regina to remote northern communities to transport stabbing victims and bring a doctor to the scene.
