Lhe latest suspect in Sunday’s deadly stabbing attacks in Canada was arrested by police on Wednesday. “Myles Sanderson was located and taken into custody near Rosthern, Saskatchewan at approximately 3:30 p.m. (21:30 GMT). There is no longer a public safety risk associated with this investigation,” provincial police said in a social media post. The man died after his arrest, Canadian media reported Wednesday night. “Shortly after his arrest, Myles Sanderson entered medical distress,” Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore told reporters, without giving any further explanation of this discomfort.
The police had been tracking since Sunday in the center-west of the country Myles Sanderson, 32, suspected of being responsible, with his brother Damien, for one of the deadliest attacks in recent years in the country. Known to the police and the justice system for multiple acts of violence, thefts, Myles Sanderson was already wanted since last May for not having respected his judicial control. Monday, the body of his brother Damien Sanderson, suspected of being his accomplice, was found, larded with several stab wounds near the scene of the crimes. The circumstances of his death remain to be clarified, but he could have been killed by his brother, according to the police.
Mainly targeted attacks
On Wednesday, authorities revealed the identities of those killed, nine out of 10 of whom are from the community of James Smith Cree Nation, the last from the nearby village of Weldon. They are men and women between the ages of 23 and 78. Among the injured, there is a young teenager and seventeen adults, added the federal police. Before the suspect’s arrest was announced, and for the first time since Sunday, some families spoke publicly to tell their nightmare. “It’s a difficult time for our families,” Mark Arcand told the press, referring to “horrible and senseless acts”. His sister Bonnie Burns, 48, and his nephew Grégory Burns, 28, are among the victims. “Bonnie always put others before her,” he said, very moved. “She did everything she could to provide for her family. Her home was filled with love and attention.
According to the police, some victims were targeted while others were randomly beaten. In Canada, aboriginal people represent approximately 5% of the 38 million inhabitants, and live in communities often ravaged by unemployment and poverty. They are also more often victims of homicide. Ten patients were still hospitalized and three remained in critical condition, according to health authorities. In recent years, Canada has experienced a succession of events of rare violence for the country. In April 2020, a shooter posing as a police officer killed 22 people in Nova Scotia. In January 2017, six people were killed and five were injured in attacks on a mosque in Quebec.