Second Suspect In Canadian Stabbing Spree Dies

The second suspect wanted in the deadly Canada stabbing attacks, has died following his arrest.

Myles Sanderson, who killed 10 people in and around an indigenous reserve in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, has reportedly died of self-inflicted injuries, Canada’s Global News agency has reported.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said earlier that Myles Sanderson, 30, was taken into custody near the town of Rosthern, Saskatchewan, about 100km southwest of the area where the killings occurred on Sunday.

“Shortly after his arrest, he went into medical distress,” Rhonda Blackmore, assistant commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Saskatchewan, said at a press conference Wednesday night.

An official previously told The Associated Press that Sanderson had died of self-inflicted wounds. The official did not explain when or how those wounds were sustained.

Blackmore said that Sanderson appeared to have also stolen a first aid kit, indicating he may have previously been injured.

Sanderson’s brother, 30-year-old Damien Sanderson, who is also suspected in the attacks, was found dead Monday. His wounds did not appear to be self-inflicted, police said.

Blackmore noted that, because both suspects are dead, “we may never have an understanding” of the motive of the attacks.

Before his arrest, police received a report that Sanderson was armed with a knife and outside a residence, from which he stole a white SUV. The owner of the vehicle was not hurt, Blackmore said. After the SUV was spotted speeding on the highway, the vehicle was “directed off the road and into a nearby ditch” by police, Blackmore said. Sanderson was the only occupant of the vehicle, according to Blackmore.

Blackmore later said that police had been able to “connect with the vehicle” and “remove it from the road” following a pursuit.

An official familiar with the matter said officers rammed Sanderson’s vehicle and he surrendered. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as the person was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. Video and photos from the scene showed a white SUV off to the side of the road with police cars all around.

“Myles Sanderson was located and taken into police custody near Rosthern, SK at approximately 3:30 p.m. today,” the province of Saskatchewan said in an emergency alert Wednesday afternoon. “There is no longer a risk to public safety relating to this investigation.”

Myles Sanderson, 32, was facing three counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and one count of break-and-enter.

Shortly before police said Myles Sanderson had been apprehended, a person who was reported to be armed with a knife was sighted in the town of Wakaw and the city of Prince Albert, RCMP said. Wakaw is about 40 miles south of Prince Albert. Both are in Saskatchewan.

The stabbing rampage raised questions about why Myles Sanderson — an ex-con with 59 convictions and a long history of shocking violence — was out on the streets in the first place.

He was released by a parole board in February while serving a sentence of over four years on charges that included assault and robbery. But he had been wanted by police since May, apparently for violating the terms of his release, though the details were not immediately clear.

His long and lurid rap sheet also showed that seven years ago, he attacked and stabbed one of the victims killed in the weekend rampage, according to court records.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said there will be an investigation into the parole board’s assessment of Sanderson.