Both suspects are killed after a manhunt in Canada for a stabbing spree
Both suspects are killed after a manhunt in Canada for a stabbing spree
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Canada: A day-long search for another suspect in a stabbing spree in an isolated indigenous community in western Canada ended on Wednesday after police said a 32-year-old had died in custody.

Miles Sanderson "went into medical trouble" shortly after being detained in Saskatchewan, according to Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, who also revealed that he was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

He dropped all further explanations of the situation.

Police issued a warning about a man wielding a knife to a stolen white Chevy Avalanche an hour before the arrest, making connections to the stabbing case and advising locals to take cover.

According to Blackmore, after receiving a call reporting the theft, police noticed the speeding car and "directed (it) off the road and into a nearby ditch."

He said, "He was taken into custody after being arrested by the police. A knife was found inside the car.

A four-day search on the vast prairie for Miles Sanderson and his brother Damien, believed to be responsible for Sunday's killings, came to a dramatic end.

It also brought comfort to a country afflicted by one of Canada's deadliest acts of mass violence in recent memory.

In response to the reported sightings, the manhunt crossed three provinces, traveled 300 kilometers (185 mi) south from Regina, the capital of the province of Saskatchewan, and then returned to the James Smith Cree Nation.

In a meadow in the Cree neighborhood, the body of 31-year-old Damien Sanderson was found after a search on Monday.

Officials said his 32-year-old brother, who was on the run until he was caught near the Saskatchewan town of Rostern, about 100 kilometers west of the stabbing, may have killed him.

Blackmore said the arrest of Miles Sanderson "has taken our province a collective sigh of relief," adding that the community and the families of the victims "will be able to begin treatment."

In addition to being wanted for a parole violation in May after serving a portion of the sentence for assault and robbery, Miles Sanderson had a history of violent outbursts that resulted in 59 prior convictions.

However, with no clear justification for the recent attacks, relatives of the victims spoke about their "nightmares" on Wednesday and urged authorities to provide an explanation.

The murders of his 48-year-old sister Bonnie Burns and their 28-year-old son, Gregory Burns, were described by Mark Arkind as "a terrible, senseless act".
He expressed feelings of fury and sadness, saying, "We're broken." It continues to feel like a nightmare. It doesn't seem real.

"How did our family end? Why did this happen? We have no solution," he told a news conference. "We all know that our loved ones were murdered in their own home and in their yard."

Archand recalled how his sister had quickly left the house to help her son, who was bleeding on his way after being stabbed several times.

"She was stabbed twice and died right next to her. She was trying to keep her son safe," he said.

They claimed that a neighbor tried to stop the attackers by running away, but he too was killed.

Archand continued, "There's a steep hill to be climbed, and we're going to climb it together, in unison."

The coroner has revealed the names of the deceased victims, who ranged in age from 23 to 78. There were six men and four women.

All except one belonged to the Cree tribe. The other was a widower who lived with his eldest grandson in the nearby town of Weldon.

According to police, seventeen adults and a young teenager were also injured in the attacks. Another Bonnie Burns son who was cut in the neck was one of them.

Ten patients are still hospitalized, with two in critical condition, according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority. Seven more people have been let go.

According to the police, some victims were targeted while others were victims of random attacks.

Noting that both brothers are now dead, Blackmore warned that "we may never have an understanding of (their) motivation."

This vicious attack comes after several recent mass murders in Canada. In April 2020, 22 people were killed by a gunman posing as a police officer in Nova Scotia, two years after a van driver killed 11 pedestrians in Toronto.

In January 2017, a second shooter killed six worshipers at a mosque in Quebec City.

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