Canada stabbings: Suspect found dead, brother still at large

Canadian police said on Monday they had found Damien S., one of the suspects in a stabbing spree, dead. The other suspect, his brother Myles S., remained at large.

An enormous manhunt had been launched following one of the country's worst ever mass killings. 

Ten people were killed and 18 injured in an attack on an Indigenous community and a nearby town in a rural area of the province of Saskatchewan. 

What did police say about the suspects?

According to Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, Damien's body was "located outdoors in a heavily grassed area in proximity to a house that was being examined" by authorities, with "visible injuries."

While Damien's body was found near the stabbing sites police believe Myles is injured and hiding in Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan. It was the first time police have identified the two as brothers.

When asked if Myles S. was responsible for his brother's death, Blackmore said police are investigating the possibility, but "we can't say for sure at this point."

Police issued warrants for both the fugitives' arrest on Monday.

They have not given many details about the suspects, except that Myles S. was listed as "unlawfully at large" in the spring in relation to another crime. They added that some victims appears to be targeted while others were attacked at random.

What Canadian leaders said about the Saskatchewan stabbings

Authorities declined to comment on a motive, but the chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations suggested the stabbings could be drug-related.

"This is the destruction we face when harmful illegal drugs invade our communities, and we demand all authorities to take direction from the chiefs and councils and their membership to create safer and healthier communities for our people,'' said Chief Bobby Cameron.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the flag above Canada's parliament building in Ottawa would be flown at half-staff to honor the victims.

"Sadly, over these past years, tragedies like these have become all too common place. Saskatchewanians and Canadians will do what we always do in times of difficulty and anguish, we will be there for each other," Trudeau said.

What happened during the attack?

Police were called to the James Smith Cree Nation over a stabbing at 5:40 a.m. on Sunday, and within minutes heard about several more. In all, dead or wounded people were found at 13 different locations on the sparsely populated reserve and in the town of Weldon, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) away.

The area is a working-class part of Saskatchewan surrounded by farmland. One witness who said he lost family members described seeing people with bloody wounds scattered throughout the Indigenous reserve.

"No one in this town is ever going to sleep again. They're going to be terrified to open their door,'' said one resident of Weldon.

The elected leaders of the three communities that make up the James Smith Cree Nation declared a local state of emergency.

Chief Calvin Sanderson, the leader of one of the three First Nations that make up the community, and who is not related to the suspects, said everyone has been affected.

"They were our relatives, friends," Sanderson said of the victims. "It's pretty horrific.''

Editor's note: Deutsche Welle follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases. 

dh, es/rt (AP, AFP)