- By Jessica Murphy
- BBC News
3 hours ago
Image source, RCMP handout
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An inquest heard Myles Sanderson died of a drug overdose while in police custody
The last words of a man responsible for a 2022 stabbing attack in Canada have been revealed at a coroner's inquest into his death in custody.
Myles Sanderson told arresting officers, “You should have shot me, man,” and later said, “I'm ready to die now,” Canadian media reported.
The inquest also found that Sanderson died of an acute cocaine overdose.
He was arrested after a major manhunt during a high-speed chase.
The knife attacks occurred over Canada's Labor Day weekend on September 4, two years ago in the province of Saskatchewan.
Ten of the victims, including his brother Damien Sanderson, were from the James Smith Cree Nation, an indigenous community in the Prairie Province. One victim was from the nearby community of Weldon. 17 people were injured in the rampage.
Police arrested Sanderson after a three-day search. While driving a stolen truck at high speed, he was stopped, rammed by police and forced into a ditch on the side of the road.
The coroner's inquest heard on Monday that police quickly realized Sanderson required medical attention during his arrest. A paramedic was on scene within minutes and Sanderson was at the hospital within an hour. He was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Inquiry witness Det Sgt Ken Kane said there was no evidence that police operations “caused or contributed to the death of Myles Sanderson,” the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reported.
It is not clear what sparked the mass killings, which spanned multiple crime scenes. Myles and Damien spent days drinking, dealing drugs and stealing cars before the rampage began, police said. Damien was the first victim.
Myles then went to another house where he killed Robert Sanderson, his second victim.
Over the next few hours, Myles Sanderson traveled through the community on foot and in stolen vehicles, breaking into a number of homes.
In one, he killed Gregory Burns and attacked his mother, Bonnie Burns. He later returned to that house and killed Bonnie Burns along with Gloria Burns, a former first responder who had arrived at the scene to help.
His other victims in the James Smith Cree Nation were Thomas Burns, Carol Burns, Earl Burns, Lana Head and Christian Head. In Weldon he killed his last victim, Wesley Petterson, 78.
Probation documents show Sanderson has 59 prior convictions and was released in February 2022 while serving a four-year sentence.
A public inquiry earlier this year found that Sanderson targeted some of his victims for personal reasons and that others simply stood in his way.
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WATCH: From the crime scene of the Canada stabbing: Arrest of an alleged suspect