Canada Mass Stabbing Update as Police Hunt Damien and Myles Sanderson

A massive manhunt is underway for two men suspected of mass stabbings that left at least 10 people dead and around 15 wounded in Canada.

Police are hunting for Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson after the pair were named as suspects following a series of attacks across the James Smith Cree Nation, a remote indigenous community, and the nearby village of Weldon in Saskatchewan in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The attacks began shortly before 5:40 a.m., police said, as emergency call center workers began receiving calls for help across 13 locations. James Smith Cree Nation has around 2,400 residents, while Weldon has 200.

A state of emergency was declared in the James Smith Cree Nation, and tens of thousands of people were warned to stay inside by a “dangerous person alert” sent to every cell phone in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta, which read: “Do not leave a secure location. Use caution allowing others into your residence. DO NOT APPROACH suspicious persons. Do not pick up hitch hikers.”

Officers and law enforcement officials meet at the scene of a crime scene in Canada. Feature inset are suspects Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson, who are wanted by police investigating a stabbing spree that left 10 dead. AP

Rhonda Blackmore, Commanding Officer for Saskatchewan RCMP, said some people may have been targeted, while others are believed to have been “attacked randomly.” Police have not speculated on a motive for the stabbings.

At a press briefing on Sunday evening, police said there may be further injured victims of whom they were currently unaware.

No victims have been publicly identified by authorities.

Local media reports have named some of the victims after their loved ones spoke publicly. Weldon widower Wes Petterson, 77, was a “good, kind hearted man,” his friend Ruby Works told the Associated Press. Mother-of-two Lana Head and her unnamed male partner are also dead, her ex-partner told the APTN news network.

Local reporter Logan Stein told the BBC that the alleged knifemen appeared to have gone door-to-door attacking residents.

Newsweek has reached out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for further information. More details about the crime, the suspects, and the victims are expected to be released later on Monday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the atrocity as “heartbreaking” and added: “I am shocked and devastated by the horrific attacks today. Those responsible for today’s abhorrent attacks must be fully brought to justice.”

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents First Nations groups in Saskatchewan, released a statement saying: “Our hearts break for all those impacted.”

Authorities have not yet revealed the nature of the relationship between Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson, who share a surname. Nor have they revealed many details about the pair.

Damien Sanderson is 31. He was described by police as 5ft 7in tall and weighing 155lbs, with black hair and brown eyes.

Myles Sanderson is 30. He was described as 6ft 1in tall and weighing 240lbs, with brown hair and eyes.

It was thought they may have been travelling together in a black Nissan Rogue with SK license plate 119 MPI. They were last sighted by members of the public early on Sunday afternoon in Regina.

Members of the public have been warned not to approach the men if they see them, but instead to seek safety immediately and call 911.

In April 2020, a 51-year-old gunman apparently impersonating a Mountie killed 16 people in Nova Scotia in a 12-hour period before he was shot by police. It remains Canada’s worst mass shooting.

The incident helped push the murder rate in Canada that year to its highest level since 2005, according to Statistics Canada, at 1.95 murders per 100,000 people. According to FBI data, the murder rate in the U.S. in 2020 was around 6.5 homicides per 100,000 people.

Update 09/05/2022, 7:51 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information on Canadian murder rates.