(Melfort) Family members hugged and cried at the coroner's inquest after learning how a mass murderer went door-to-door, breaking down doors and stabbing members of a Saskatchewan First Nation.
Posted at 5:56 p.m.
Kelly Geraldine Malone The Canadian Press
The first 911 calls released during the investigation on Tuesday show the growing fear among community members as Myles Sanderson, armed with a knife, terrorized the people of the James Smith Cree Nation on September 4, 2022.
“Please hurry. I'm bleeding,” Brandon Genereaux said in a call to a 911 operator after he was attacked.
Mr. Genereaux survived the violent rampage, but his father, Robert Sanderson, was among 11 people killed on the First Nation and in the neighboring village of Weldon.
There were 92 calls to 911.
Myles Sanderson, 32, died in custody days later.
Staff Sergeant Robin Zentner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Major Crimes Unit continued his testimony Tuesday, explaining to jurors how the attacks occurred.
Mr. Zentner testified Monday that Myles Sanderson and his brother Damien Sanderson wreaked havoc on the First Nation in the days and hours before the attacks.
The investigation also uncovered text messages Damien Sanderson sent to his wife telling him he was ready to die.
Damien Sanderson was the first to be killed by his brother. Mr Zentner said police believe he was killed after Myles Sanderson stabbed his first victim.
Damien Sanderson intervened in that stabbing, Mr. Zentner said, and Myles Sanderson then attacked his brother in a vehicle. Damien Sanderson ran from the vehicle, leaving a bloody shirt on the road, the inquest heard.
Some family members began to cry as the inquest showed images of Damien Sanderson's shirtless body, where he was later found in the tall grass on the side of the road.
The aim of the investigation, which is taking place in Melfort, northeast of Saskatoon, is to uncover the events that led to the murders, find out who died and when and where each person was killed.
A second inquest into the death of Myles Sanderson is scheduled for February.
Mr. Zentner was asked whether the RCMP had investigated the reason for the killings. He said police discovered text messages exchanged between the brothers and some of the victims days before the attacks. It involved drug sales and debts or money owed in prison.
Zentner said RCMP interviews with the family also revealed that Myles Sanderson targeted anyone associated with the Terror Squad, a gang with a strong presence in Saskatchewan.
But Mr Zentner said there was no indication the killings were gang-related and some were clearly random.
RCMP said people may never get all the answers about what happened because the killer is dead.
Questions about police intervention
“There's no getting around it, this is an incredibly difficult day of evidence,” said Keith Brown, the First Nation's attorney.
Mr. Brown argued that Mr. Zentner's testimony was a “thousand-foot view of what happened from a criminal investigator's perspective” but that it provided important context.
Mr Brown asked Mr Zentner why Aboriginal people do not contact or trust the police. The official said there could be many reasons, including a historical distrust of the RCMP among Indigenous communities.
Some family members also asked the police officer questions. Family members of Bonnie and Gregory Burns, a mother and son who were killed, questioned why responders stopped at the Melfort department before heading into the community.
Mr. Zentner said the questions should be asked of the police officers scheduled to testify on Wednesday.
The investigation revealed that Myles Sanderson had traveled to the First Nation to sell drugs several days before the murders. He was arguing with the mother of his children and Damien Sanderson tried to calm him down.
The investigation revealed that the brothers were driving around the community, getting into fights and selling drugs.
The more time the brothers spent together, the more fatalistic Damien Sanderson's text messages to his wife became. Mr Zentner said on Monday that no one had given a full explanation for the tone of Damien Sanderson's text messages.
Zentner's timeline of the attacks includes photos of shoe prints on door frames, blood spilled in homes and videos from responders' vehicles.
It shed light on how the killer moved through the community, stealing vehicles and injuring residents.
Myles Sanderson's 13-year-old son was in the basement of the home where Earl Burns Sr., Myles Sanderson's former stepfather, was attacked. Mr. Burns later died on a school bus that he was using to pursue Myles Sanderson.
The boy told police he heard his father tell Mr Burns: “I'm going to kill you and my son,” the inquest heard.
Myles Sanderson bragged about the murders while visiting other First Nation homes.
“Do you want to know how many bodies I had tonight? ” Mr. Sanderson told one survivor.
Darryl Burns, whose sister Gloria Burns was killed while trying to help others, said it was difficult to hear testimony about how drugs might be involved.
“Cocaine is the problem in our community. »