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Leadership with Grand Council Treaty #3 is asking Canadians across the country to keep the 28 victims of this weekend’s attacks in James Smith Cree Nation in their prayers, after the capture and death of 32-year-old suspect Myles Sanderson on Wednesday.
“The news of the unspeakable events in Saskatchewan this week has left us all with a profound sense of sorrow,” said Treaty #3 Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh. “I know I can speak for the entirety of the Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty #3 when I say our thoughts are with the families of lost loved ones in the wake of these terrible attacks.”
The attacks took place in James Smith Cree First Nation and Weldon, both northeast of Saskatoon, over the Labour Day weekend. A total of 28 people were injured in the attacks. 10 were killed and 18 were injured, with 3 residents still hospitalized in critical condition.
Grand Council Treat #3 adds they stand with community members to mourn with the families of the Burns, Head, Sanderson and Petterson families, and are asking residents to keep the remaining 18 victims in their prayers.
Those numbers do not include suspects Myles Sanderson and Damien Sanderson, who are now both deceased. The two brothers were wanted on charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and breaking and entering.
Damien was found dead on Monday near one of the Saskatchewan crime scenes, and Myles was considered the primary suspect in the death.
Myles, meanwhile, eluded police until Wednesday when he was captured near Rosthern, SK in a stolen vehicle. A short time later, the RCMP says he went into ‘medical distress’ and passed away. An independent investigation into his death is underway.
Court records show that Myles had previously assaulted two of the 28 victims in this weekend’s attacks. Earl and Joyce Burns are Sanderson’s former in-laws. The family says 66-year-old Earl Burns was killed and his wife remains in the hospital.
An online fundraiser for victims and their families was closed Tuesday after surpassing its $100,000 goal. A separate GoFundMe page was created Wednesday for the Burns family and raised $9,000 in its first three hours.