Ten dead, at least 15 hurt in Canada stabbings; police on the hunt for 2 suspects

OTTAWA: Canadian police on Sunday (Sep 4) said they were on the hunt for two suspects believed to have killed 10 people and injured at least 15 others in stabbings at 13 locations in the Saskatchewan province.

Police officials named Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson as the two suspects. The officials said the suspects were last seen traveling in a black Nissan Rogue and last spotted in the city of Regina, about 320km south of the attacks.

Police released photos and descriptions of the suspects but no further information about them.

“It appears that some of the victims may have been targeted, and some may be random. So to speak to a motive would be extremely difficult at this point in time,” Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police, told a news conference.

There may be additional injured victims who transported themselves to various hospitals, police said.

The attacks took place in 13 locations, including the James Smith Cree nation and the city of Weldon, police said.

The stabbings were certain to reverberate throughout Canada, which is unaccustomed to bouts of mass violence more commonly seen across the southern border in the United States.

In a Twitter post on Sunday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the attacks were “horrific and heartbreaking”. 

“I’m thinking of those who have lost a loved one and of those who were injured.

“We are closely monitoring the situation, and urge everyone to follow updates from local authorities. Thank you to all the brave first responders for their efforts on the ground.”

“There are no words to adequately describe the pain and loss caused by this senseless violence. All of Saskatchewan grieves with the victims and their families,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said on Twitter.

The stabbings were reported early in the morning, and at 8.20am local time police issued a province-wide dangerous persons alert. By the afternoon, similar alerts were also issued in Saskatchewan’s neighboring provinces Alberta and Manitoba.

A police alert issued shortly after midday said they may be in Regina, one of the province’s largest cities, where a large police presence was already mobilised because of a Canadian football game at Mosaic Stadium near the center of town.

However, Blackmore said it was unknown where the suspects might be headed or if they had changed vehicles.

“It is horrific what has occurred in our province today,” Blackmore said, calling the attacks one of the largest if not the largest in recent history in the province.

Police bulletins urged people to report any suspicious people and to take precautions including sheltering in place, while warning against picking up hitchhikers or approaching suspicious people.

“Do not leave a secure location. Use caution allowing others into your residence,” one advisory said.

A spokesperson for the Saskatchewan Health Authority told AFP in a statement it had activated emergency protocols to deal with “a high number of critical patients”.

“We can confirm that multiple people are being triaged and cared for at multiple sites and that a call for additional staff to help respond to this situation has occurred,” it added.