Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
The man whose knife-wielding rampage resulted in 10 deaths and 18 injuries in Saskatchewan appears to have opted to end his life rather than face the consequences of his actions.
Late Wednesday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced that Myles Sanderson, 30, had been arrested in Rosthern, Saskatchewan, following a four-day manhunt. Shortly thereafter, Canadian media outlet Global News reported that Sanderson had died at a hospital after having fatally harmed himself somehow. As of this writing, it remains unclear precisely how.
“Shortly after his arrest, he went into medical distress,” RCMP Commanding Officer Rhonda Blackmore told Global News, adding “all lifesaving measures that we’re capable of were taken.”
Sanderson and his brother, Damien Sanderson, who appears to have been murdered at Myles’ hands, were wanted in connection with 28 stabbings that occurred over a series of 13 locations in and around the James Smith Cree Nation and the village of Weldon.
Victims included the sister and nephew of Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand.
Damien’s body was discovered Monday and officials have determined that his death was not a suicide, leading to speculation that his brother had stabbed him as well.
The search for Myles Sanderson grew to include about 160 officers and covered a huge swath of Saskatchewan. Eventually, officers located Sanderson driving a stolen vehicle, which led to a high-speed chase that involved at least a dozen law enforcement vehicles and a helicopter.
Initially, RCMP said, Sanderson went peacefully into custody — after a violent end to a dangerous car chase — but injured himself while in custody.
RCMP has requested an independent investigation into the precise cause of death for Myles Sanderson.
The stabbing spree is yet another story to emerge of a person let out of prison only to commit even worse crimes. By any objective measure, Myles Sanderson gave off dozens of warning signs that an act of immense violence was a distinct possibility.
Sanderson had an extensive criminal record and had been convicted of 59 separate crimes — ranging from drug offenses to numerous acts of domestic violence and repeatedly threatening or harming residents of the James Smith Cree Nation.
In 2015, he repeatedly stabbed Earl Burns, to whom he was related by marriage. For his brutal act, Sanderson was sentenced to two years in prison minus a day. Burns was among the people killed Sunday and his wife, Joyce Burns, was among those injured.
Conservatives in the U.S. have pointed to this crime, as well as the kidnap and murder of Eliza Fletcher and last night’s shooting spree in Memphis, as well as numerous other crimes in the U.S., as proof that liberal criminal justice reforms that allow violent criminals back onto the street have not only been ineffective but counterproductive to public safety.
Conservative commentator Matt Walsh took to Twitter Tuesday to talk about solutions.
Damien and Myles Sanderson went on a stabbing spree in Canada this weekend, killing 11 people. Myles had 59 previous convictions and yet was still free. It turns out that the only sure way to protect the public from violent crooks is to put them in prison. Banning guns wont do it
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 6, 2022
Walsh’s last sentence was in reference to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s crackdown on firearm ownership in Canada. Following the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Trudeau announced heavy restrictions on handguns.