The RCMP tweeted that Myles Sanderson was arrested around 3:30 pm local time. Sanderson had been considered by police to be “armed and dangerous”.
“There is no longer a public safety risk related to this investigation,” the RCMP tweeted.
Sanderson’s arrest comes three days after 10 people died and 18 others were injured in the mass stabbing. The ages of the victims ranged from 23 to 78, according to authorities.
Myles Sanderson was wanted on a warrant for three counts of first degree murder, one count of attempted murder and breaking and entering of a residence.
Police reported a possible sighting of Sanderson on the James Smith Cree Nation on Tuesday, but police later determined he was not in the community. The search has spread across the province of Saskatchewan, authorities said.
All but one of the victims are from the James Smith Cree Nation
The 10 victims range in age from 23 to 78, and all but one are from the James Smith Cree Nation indigenous community, authorities said.
The Saskatchewan Coroner’s Service and the RCMP provided the names and ages of the victims in a statement Wednesday, but declined to confirm their relationships. Six of the victims share the surname Burns, two share the surname Head and one shares the surname of the two suspects in the attacks.
The victims were identified as:
- Thomas Burns, 23 years old
- Carol Burns, 46
- Gregory Burns, 28
- Lydia Gloria Burns, 61
- Bonnie Burns, 48
- Earl Burns, 66
- Lana Head, 49
- Christian Head, 54 years old
- Robert Sanderson, 49
- Wesley Petterson, 78
Petterson is from Weldon, Saskatchewan, while the other nine victims are from the James Smith Cree Nation.
Several relatives of some of the victims spoke at a news conference about their loved ones on Wednesday. Saskatoon Tribal Chief Mark Arcand identified Bonnie Burns as his sister and Gregory Burns as his son, and said another of his sons was stabbed but survived.
“Let me be honest in saying this, we don’t really know what happened. We just know that our family members were killed in their home, in their yard,” said Arcand.
In addition, 18 people were injured in the stabbing attacks, but authorities would not release their identities. “We can confirm that one teenager was injured and the remaining injured are all adults. We will not confirm other specific ages,” the agencies said.
Three patients were in critical condition and seven were in stable condition as of Tuesday, according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
The victim information was released as Canadian police continued a massive manhunt for one of two suspects in the brutal attacks, which spanned 13 different crime scenes in the James Smith Cree Nation and nearby rural Weldon.
Some of the victims were apparently attacked, according to police
It is still unclear what motivated the violence and how or if the brothers knew any of the victims.
Some were apparently targeted while others may have been attacked at random, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said at a briefing Monday.
It is also unknown whether the brothers carried out the attacks at the same time, according to Blackmore.
The first stabbing was reported to the James Smith Cree Nation at 5:40 a.m. Minutes later, they received several more calls about stabbings at other locations, police said.
The nation has a population of about 3,400 people with about 1,800 members living on the reservation, according to its website.
As of 9:45 a.m., authorities were reporting casualties at several locations, including one in Weldon.
Lydia Gloria Burns, a first responder, was responding to a crisis call when she was caught up in the violence and killed, her brother Darryl Burns told Reuters, although the agency did not say whether the call it was related to the stabbings.
“They killed her,” her brother Ivor Burns told Reuters.
The discovery of Damien Sanderson’s body a day after the attacks also raised questions about his brother’s involvement in his death. But police said Monday it was unclear whether Myles Sanderson was involved.
“It’s an avenue of investigation that we’re following, but we can’t say definitively at this point,” Blackmore said.
The suspect had an “extensive” criminal record and was released by the parole board
Blackmore previously said Sanderson had warrants out for his arrest before the stabbings.
“Myles’ record goes back quite a number of years and includes crimes against property and persons,” Blackmore said, without elaborating on the alleged crimes.
“His actions have shown that he is violent and so we continue to emphasize that people remain vigilant,” Blackmore added.
The Parole Board of Canada granted Sanderson statutory release, according to a decision made on February 1, 2022.
Statutory release is a statutory release that allows an offender to serve part of their sentence in the community under direct supervision, according to the board. Under Canadian law, the Correctional Service of Canada must release most offenders with supervision after serving two-thirds of their sentence, if they have not yet been granted parole, except for those serving a chain perpetual
The board said in the ruling that it did not believe Sanderson would pose a risk to the public if released. The decision did note his lengthy criminal record and that he was assessed by a psychologist for a “moderate risk of violence.”
“Your criminal record is very troubling, including the use of violence and weapons related to your index crimes, and your history of domestic violence involving family members, including your children and non-relatives,” states the sentence
In a statement, the Parole Board said it “extends its thoughts to the victims, their families and all those who have been affected as a result of these senseless and horrific acts of violence.”
Citing the Privacy Act, the board said it could not discuss details of an offender’s case.
CNN’s Paula Newton, Tina Burnside, Chuck Johnston, Michelle Watson and Cara Lynn Clarkson contributed to this report.