2022 Saskatchewan stabbings

On September 1, 2022, Myles Sanderson arrived at the James Smith Cree Nation, a community within Saskatchewan of about 2,000 residents located 200 kilometres (120 mi) northeast of Saskatoon and 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of Regina, to sell cocaine.[9] The next day, on the afternoon of September 2, Myles assaulted his partner and tried to run her over with their car.[10] After the attack, Myles's brother Damien took him away.[11] The brothers then picked up another woman, went to a bar in nearby Kinistino, and later returned to James Smith Cree Nation to sell cocaine again.[12]

At 4:03 a.m. CST on September 3, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) received a call from Damien's wife, saying her husband had stolen a vehicle on the First Nation and might be impaired. Two officers responded at 4:15 and began looking for him, for he also had an outstanding arrest warrant at the time.[9][13] At 5:35, they found the vehicle at a home, with Damien inside. Because he gave them a different name and looked different from a 2014 prison photo that they had, officers spent three hours looking Damien up, with no success.[9]

Later, both Myles and Damien were picked up from the home at around noon and taken to the same Kinistino bar. They were dropped off at around 1:30 p.m.[12] and then walked around for several hours before assaulting Gregory Burns, who would later be among the victims, at a home at 5:00 and then separated. Damien went to another Kinistino bar and told a woman that he and his brother had "a mission" and that "people would hear all about it in the next few hours."[9] He returned to the James Smith Cree nation before midnight[9] and met with Myles, who remained there. The brothers then assaulted another man, who did not suffer serious injuries.[12]

At around 3:30 a.m. on September 4, the brothers took a gray van from a home on the First Nation and made their last known drug sale at 4:00.[9][14] They returned to a home on the First Nation at 4:45 and left in the van. A witness later described them as drinking alcohol and "pumping themselves up for something."[12]

Weldon viewed from the southeast

According to a preliminary timeline released by the RCMP in April 2023, the attacks began at around 5:30 a.m. on September 4. At that time, the brothers entered into the house of Damien's wife, looking for her.[9] When they could not find her, Damien told his two daughters who were in the home that they would not see him again.[12][13][11] At around 5:40, the brothers entered another house, and Myles attacked a man with a pair of scissors. However, Damien stopped the attack when he stepped between the two and told the victim to not call the police. Myles took a knife from the kitchen, and the brothers left; the victim then called 9-1-1. Myles and Damien got into a fight in the van outside, which left Damien severely injured; he ran into nearby bushes, where he later died.[9]

Between approximately 5:59 and 6:07, Sanderson attacked five people, killing three in two homes. Myles then went to Gregory Burns's home, where he killed him and attacked Gregory's wife Bonnie and two children. At 6:14, Sanderson attacked two victims at another home. Five minutes later, Sanderson attacked his former father-in-law Earl Burns and his wife at a home before driving away. Earl tried to chase him down in a school bus, but it rolled into a ditch, after which he died.[9] After attacking eight additional people in three other homes, killing two of them, Sanderson returned to Gregory Burns's home at 6:53 and attacked Bonnie Burns again, killing her. He also killed another woman who had gone to the home to help Bonnie. Throughout the attacks, Sanderson would steal a vehicle and abandon it for another one moments later.[9][14]

Sanderson drove to Weldon, a village of 160 residents about 25 kilometres (16 mi), in a stolen SUV. Residents reported seeing him in the community and that a vehicle had been rummaged through, with a first aid kit and a crowbar stolen. At 8:19, Sanderson killed a man at a home in Weldon.[9]

At 5:40, the RCMP was first notified of stabbings at multiple locations in the James Smith Cree Nation. At 5:43, two RCMP officers from Melfort were dispatched to the scene, and they arrived there at 6:18. Two minutes later, one of the officers left the crime scene to attend to a second scene, where he arrived at 6:32.[9]

At 7:12,[15][16] the RCMP issued an emergency alert within the immediate region, identifying Myles and Damien as suspects and advising residents to stay in secure locations and to use caution when allowing others into their homes. It also alerted citizens not to approach the brothers and instead report them to 9-1-1.[17]

At 8:20, the civil emergency was expanded to the entirety of Saskatchewan, after the brothers were found to have access to a vehicle.[15][17] At the request of the Saskatchewan RCMP, the civil emergency was later expanded to the entirety of the neighbouring provinces Alberta and Manitoba.[18] Police checkpoints were established between Regina and Prince Albert.[15][17] The brothers' vehicle was later spotted in Regina at 11:45.[19]

Dead and injured victims were found at 13 locations.[20][21] STARS air ambulances and road ambulances were dispatched to triage and transport the wounded to hospitals.[17] The Saskatchewan Health Authority initiated a code orange, briefly issuing additional staff in hospitals local to the stabbings to help with the influx of patients.[17]

At 2:07 p.m. on September 7, a break-and-enter was reported in the town of Wakaw, and Sanderson was reportedly spotted northeast of the town, armed with a knife.[9] An emergency alert was issued by the RCMP at 2:49, warning that a man armed with a knife was last seen in Wakaw, had stolen a white Chevrolet Avalanche, and was believed to be related to the attacks. The stolen truck was spotted at 3:17 by the driver of an unmarked police vehicle driving westbound on Highway 11 towards Rosthern, and a PIT manoeuvre was used to direct it into a ditch. The driver of the truck was identified as Sanderson, and he was apprehended by police at 3:28.[6] He then entered unspecified medical distress at 3:33 and died in police custody later that day.[5] On September 9, the original vehicle Sanderson was driving was found abandoned east of Crystal Springs.[22]