Two brothers sparked panic in two small towns in west-central Canada on Sunday, killing ten people and injuring 18 others.
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Despite the discovery of the body of one of the two suspects on Monday, many gray areas remain regarding the attack, one of the deadliest in Canada in recent years.
What happened?
On Sunday at 5:40 a.m. (11:40 GMT), police responded to the first emergency call from the James Smith Cree Nation, a small isolated community of 3,400 residents that is home to an indigenous population, west of Saskatchewan. In the province- Central Canada.
The morning followed several other emergency calls, and hours later police announced that 10 people were killed and 18 injured in attacks in this indigenous community and the neighboring town of Weldon. According to the police, there are 13 crime scenes.
Who are the suspects?
As of Sunday, police released the names of the suspects: Miles Sanderson, 30, and Damien Sanderson, 31. Immediately a search operation began, particularly around the provincial capital Regina, 300 km from the crime scene where he was allegedly seen. Hundreds of police are deployed.
But at the end of the day on Monday, police announced that they had finally found Damien Sanderson’s body near one of the homes that had been stabbed.
“We can’t say for sure how Damien died, but he may have been killed by his brother,” she said.
Miles Sanderson, possibly injured, is still wanted, according to police. He had already served a federal sentence of nearly five years for assault, robbery and violence. He was missing on parole and wanted since May.
What are their inspirations?
They still need to be clarified. During a press conference, Canadian police again reported “not having established a motive”.
Soon after the killings, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said that some victims were “targeted” and others “attacked randomly.”
For his part, the leader of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, Bobby Cameron, blamed the attacks on “the illegal drugs that invade our communities.”
Who are the victims?
Officials have not given details of the victims, but James Smith is mostly indigenous from the Cree Nation community.
On social networks, many members of the community paid tribute to their slain relatives. Among them was 49-year-old Lana Head, who was the mother of two children aged 31 and 30.
According to Canadian media, a rescue worker, Gloria Burns, was killed after answering a call. Ivor and Darryl Burns report that their sister Gloria was killed along with her partner and a 14-year-old boy.
In Weldon, a 77-year-old widower pensioner died, according to his neighbors.
