One of two suspects in stabbing attacks in Canada that killed 10 people has been found dead, police said Monday.
The body of Damien Sanderson, 31, was found on the James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan at 11:30 a.m., said Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson, his brother, were named suspects in the stabbing deaths of 10 people that occurred Sunday.
Myles Sanderson, 30, may be injured, but that has not been confirmed, Blackmore said at a news conference.
"We do want the public to know this as there is a possibility he may seek medical attention," she said. "It does not mean he is not still dangerous."
Damien Sanderson had visible injuries that are not believed to have been self-inflicted, Blackmore said. A cause of death will be determined later, she said.
His body was found “outdoors in a heavily grassed area in proximity to a house that was being examined,” Blackmore said.
Asked at Monday's news conference whether Myles Sanderson is suspected in his brother's death, she said investigators could not say.
"We haven’t confirmed that. We can’t say one way or the other if Myles was involved in the death of Damien," Blackmore said. "It is an investigative avenue that we are following up on, but we can't say that definitively at this point."
Including Myles Sanderson, 19 people have been injured in the attacks, which spanned 13 identified crime scenes, officials said. Their medical conditions were not released. With the discovery of Damien Sanderson's body, she said, the number of deaths was 11.
The identities of the dead were not released by police Monday, but Blackmore said that none of them were infants or children.
The youngest known victim who died was born in 1999, she said, and both men and women were killed.
James Smith Cree Nation resident Darryl Burns and his brother, Ivor Wayne Burns, said their sister, Gloria Lydia Burns, was a first responder who was killed while trying to respond to a call. Burns said his 62-year-old sister was on a crisis response team.
“She went on a call to a house and she got caught up in the violence,” he said. “She was there to help. She was a hero.”
Investigators believe some victims may have been targeted and others may have been attacked at random, Blackmore said, but an investigation is ongoing.
Investigators believe the 10 people who died before Damien Sanderson’s body was found were stabbed but are working to confirm that, Blackmore said.
Myles Sanderson may have been spotted in the Saskatchewan city of Regina, after a vehicle that was being sought was seen in the city, officials have said.
“This is the most recent credible information we have, but it’s also quite stale,” Regina Police Service Chief Evan Bray said. “And so we can’t say for certain that he is in the community, but we’re operating as if he is.”
Police said that the manhunt and the investigation into the killings are the highest priority.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the attacks shocking and heartbreaking, and said Monday that his thoughts and the thoughts of all Canadians are with the victims and their loved ones.
“This kind of violence, or any kind of violence, has no place in our country,” he said.