JAMES SMITH CREE NATION –
The chief of a Saskatchewan First Nation is set to speak the day after the suspect died in a murderous stabbing rampage in police custody following a four-day manhunt.
Myles Sanderson fell into medical distress shortly after his arrest on Wednesday.
Sanderson was wanted for first-degree murder after attacks that left 10 dead and 18 injured on Sunday.
Most of the victims were from James Smith’s Cree Nation and the community was on edge and in mourning from the fatal stabbings.
Chief Wally Burns is scheduled to speak alongside other First Nations leaders from the community this morning.
They will also be joined by RCMP and Crown and Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller, Indigenous Services Minister Patti Haju and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino.
The First Nation gathered for the first wake since Wednesday night’s attacks as community members prepare for more in the coming days.
The large rally took place just hours after RCMP announced that Sanderson had been arrested near Rosthern following a police pursuit of a stolen vehicle.
The vehicle ended up in the ditch, embedded in nearby foliage on the edge of the highway.
RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said shortly after the arrest that Sanderson was in medical distress.
She said officers took lifesaving action and he was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Saskatoon, where he was pronounced dead.
Blackmore said that means there may never be an answer to what led to the murders.
The only other suspect, Sanderson’s brother Damien, was found dead near one of the crime scenes on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on September 9, 2022