At least 10 people are dead and 15 more have been hospitalized after two men went on a stabbing spree across Saskatchewan, Canada, on Sunday, cops said as they searched for the killers.
Two suspects — identified by Canadian police as Damien Sanderson, 31, and Myles Sanderson, 30 — remain at large and were last seen traveling in the Regina area in a black Nissan Rogue, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
The victims were found in 13 separate locations in the central Canadian province of Saskatchewan — largely within the James Smith Cree Nation, home to a large Indigenous community, and the tiny village of Weldon, northeast of Saskatoon, the RCMP said.
The two men allegedly targeted some of their victims, while others were random, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP Rhonda Blackmore said.
“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,” Blackmore said at a press conference.
She said police began receiving the first reports of stabbings on the First Nation community before 6 a.m. local time. More and more reports of stabbings came in, prompting the province of Saskatchewan to put out emergency alerts and James Smith Cree Nation to declare a state of emergency.
Police have advised local residents to take precautions and consider sheltering in place, according to an alert. The two suspects — who were last spotted in Regina, about 200 miles south of where the attacks originated, around noon local time — were considered armed and dangerous.
The emergency alerts were extended to cover the neighboring provinces of Manitoba and Alberta as well as Saskatchewan by midday. All three provinces share a southern border with the US.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called stabbings “horrific and heartbreaking.”
“I’m thinking of those who have lost a loved one and of those who were injured,” Trudeau said in a post on Twitter Sunday night.
“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.”
This story is developing.
