Fear and confusion as police widen search for Canada stabbings suspect

Fear, confusion and desperation have run high in western Canada as police widened the search for the remaining suspect in a stabbing spree that left 11 people dead.

On Tuesday afternoon, an emergency alert to phones warned people to shelter in place after several people in the James Smith Cree Nation reported seeing Myles Sanderson, 30, who is wanted over the string of attacks which left at least 11 dead and 18 injured.

At one point, officers reportedly surrounded a house with guns drawn, closed off all access to the community and began searching vehicles. Police cruisers were seen speeding towards the community, as panic set an among residents.

The search for Myles Sanderson, 30, entered its third day with police scouring Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan, for the suspect, who is believed to be injured. His brother, Damien, 31, who was also suspected in the attack, was found dead on Monday near the sites of the attacks. Authorities say his injuries were not self-inflicted.

The prime minister, Justin Trudeau, urged residents to heed warnings from local authorities.

Sanderson faces murder charges for his alleged role in the stabbing spree in north-eastern Saskatchewan, that left victims spread over 13 crime scenes in John Smith Cree Nation and the nearby village of Weldon.

The attacks have stunned James Smith Cree Nation, a First Nations reserve of 3,400, where residents are grieving the deaths of beloved community members. Among them are a mother, a community first responder and a 77-year-old widower.

As residents of the northern Indigenous community struggle to make sense of the attacks, prominent figures in the region have blamed drugs and alcohol.

Sanderson, the documents show, forced a man to rob a fast-food restaurant by hitting him in the head with a gun and stomping on him.

In 2018, Sanderson got angry with a group of people he was drinking with. He stabbed two of them with a fork and then attacked a man who was walking nearby, beating him until the man lost consciousness in a ditch. During the arrest, Sanderson repeatedly kicked an officer in the face and on the top of the head.

Sanderson, who was serving a four-year-and-four-month federal sentence for assault, assault with a weapon, assaulting a peace officer and robbery, was released last August.

His parole was revoked after he failed to check in with his case officer. But the parole board nonetheless reinstated his statutory release.

In its assessment of Sanderson, the parole board appeared confident the 30-year-old would be able to reintegrate into society after he began participating in traditional cultural ceremonies, had a demonstrated record of sobriety and had obtained consistent housing.

As part of his release, he was banned from consuming narcotics and alcohol, and was required to participate in treatment plans for substance abuse and domestic abuse.