Canadian police searched Saskatchewan and neighboring provinces Monday in a manhunt for two fugitives suspected of a killing spree that killed 10 and wounded 15.
The killings in the Indigenous community of the James Smith Cree Nation and the Saskatchewan town of Weldon are among the deadliest incidents of mass violence to ever strike the nation.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “shocked and devastated by the horrific attacks,” adding in a statement that Canadians mourn this “tragic violence.”
Some of the devastation was detailed in local reports and social media posts.
Weldon resident Diane Shier told the Saskatoon Star Phoenix newspaper her neighbor, a man who lived with his adult grandson, was killed in the attack. The grandson is said to have hidden in the basement and called the police.
“It was about 7:30 a.m. My husband was in the garden. He saw police cars and an ambulance coming into town. It’s a small town. This is terrible, terrible. not go out,” she told the newspaper.
Ruby Works, a roommate in the city, said the murders are haunting the city.
“Nobody in this town will ever sleep again. They’ll be scared to open their door,” Works said.
Another resident, Robert Rush, said he left his granddaughter at home to buy his wife a birthday cake. “I gave her two guns and a bat,” he said.
Police have released few details of the crimes, other than descriptions of the alleged attackers, who 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.
– ‘Maximum’ resources –
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore told a news conference on Sunday that 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.
No information was released about the victims.
The head of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, Bobby Cameron, lamented “the unspeakable violence that claimed the lives of innocent people”.
In a statement, he blamed the destruction on “harmful illegal drugs (which) are invading our communities.”
Blackmore said “maximum” police resources were used to search for the suspects, but their whereabouts and “direction of travel” were unknown.
Thirteen crime scenes in the Indigenous community and Weldon were combed for leads and a massive manhunt was underway in three provinces.
The Regina police chief said his force is coordinating with the RCMP after the suspects were sighted in the provincial capital.
“We still believe the suspects are likely in the city of Regina,” he said in a video posted online overnight.
