Mother-of-two killed alongside her partner in Canadian knife massacre

Pictured: Mother-of-two killed alongside her partner in ‘drug-related’ Canadian knife massacre that left 10 dead and 15 injured as urgent hunt for two ‘armed and dangerous’ suspects expands across three provinces

• A total of 10 people were killed and 15 others were wounded in the stabbings in Indigenous community
• Lana Head, the mother of two daughters, and her partner were among the 10 victims killed in attack Sunday
• The suspects were identified as 31-year-old Damien Sanderson and 30-year-old Myles Sanderson 
• Damien and Myles are believed to have stabbed 25 people in the indigenous reserve of James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon, northeast of the city of Saskatoon, southern Canada
• Some of victims appear to have been targeted but others appear to have been attacked at random
• The two armed suspects are still on the run and have not been found, police confirmed 

A mother-of-two who was stabbed to death alongside her partner in a ‘drug-related’ knife attack on an Indigenous community that left 10 people dead and 15 others injured has been pictured.

Lana Head, the mother of two daughters, and her partner were among the 10 victims killed in the indigenous reserve of James Smith Cree Nation, southern Canada, on Sunday as police launched a manhunt for two men suspected of carrying out the massacre.

Damien Sanderson, 31, and Myles Sanderson, 30, were named as the suspects and are currently on the run after allegedly stabbing 25 people in one of the deadliest mass killings in Canada’s history.

Damien and Myles are believed to have stabbed the victims across 13 sites in the indigenous reserve of James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon, northeast of the city of Saskatoon, southern Canada.

The chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations suggested the stabbings could be drug-related as it emerged that Myles was listed as ‘unlawfully at large’ by police in May.

The devastated community named Lana as one of the victims of the attack and said she died alongside her partner, who has not been identified. 

Another victim, Wes Petterson, a 77-year-old widower, was the second to be named by locals. 

Following the frenzied stabbing, the armed suspects reportedly fled the scene in a black Nissan Rogue SUV which has since been spotted in Regina, a city about 208 miles south of the communities where the stabbings occurred, police said.

Regina police chief Evan Bray urged Regina residents to shelter in their homes and said on Sunday night they still believe Damien and Myles are in the city.

Rhonda Blackmore, the Assistant Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said some of the victims appear to have been targeted by the suspects but others appear to have been attacked at random.

One of the 10 victims who was stabbed to death in the attack was named as Lana Head (pictured), a mother of two daughters

Suspects Damien Sanderson (left) and Myles Sanderson (right) are being sought in connection with stabbings in Saskatchewan on Sunday  according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Investigators – including police, forensics, and coroners – gather in front of the scene of a stabbing in Weldon, Saskatchewan

The armed suspects reportedly fled the scene in a black Nissan Rogue SUV (pictured) which has since been spotted in Regina, a city about 208 miles south of the communities where the stabbings occurred, police said

The stabbings took place in multiple locations on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the village of Weldon, northeast of Saskatoon, police said

The first stabbings were reported at 5.40am (11.40 GMT) in James Smith Cree Nation, a sparsely populated indigenous community with a population of about 3,400 people largely engaged in farming, hunting and fishing. Weldon is a village of some 200 people. 

Within three hours of the stabbings, which occurred across 13 crime scenes, police issued a province-wide dangerous persons alert. By Sunday afternoon, similar alerts were also issued in Saskatchewan’s neighboring provinces Alberta and Manitoba.

The elected leaders of the three communities that make up the James Smith Cree Nation, including the Chakastaypasin Band and the Peter Chapman Band, declared a local state of emergency and opened up two emergency operations centers.

Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, a group which represents 74 First Nations in the state of Saskatchewan, suggested the stabbings were drug-related.

‘This is the destruction we face when harmful illegal drugs invade our communities, and we demand all authorities to take direction from the Chiefs and Councils and their membership to create safer and healthier communities for our people,’ Cameron said.

The former partner of Lana Head, who was killed in the attack, also suggested the attack was linked to drugs and alcohol. 

Michael Brett Burns, who has two daughters with Ms Head, told the Aboriginal People’s Television Network: ‘It’s sick how jail time, drugs and alcohol can destroy many lives. I’m hurt for all this loss.’

In May, Myles Sanderson was listed as ‘unlawfully at large’ by Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers, a program that encourages the public to cooperate with police. There were no further details about why he was wanted. 

Burns earlier paid tribute to his ex-partner, writing on Facebook: ‘You will be missed dearly Lana. Thank you for beautiful daughters and granddaughters.’ 

A friend also paid tribute to Ms Head, writing on Facebook: ‘I love you and say prayers for your children, grandchildren, your family. I am going to miss your sweet hello’s and messages. I will forever cherish your sweet demeanour and caring ways.’

Another victim, Wes Petterson, 77, was identified by locals. Ruby Works said the widower was like an uncle to her. 

‘I collapsed and hit the ground. I’ve known him since I was just a little girl,? she said, describing the moment she heard the news. She said he loved his cats, was proud of his homemade Saskatoon berry jam and frequently helped out his neighbors.

‘He didn’t do anything. He didn’t deserve this. He was a good, kind hearted man,? said Works.

Weldon resident Robert Rush also described the victim as a gentle, widowed man in his 70s. ‘He wouldn’t hurt a fly,’ he said.

Rush said Petterson’s adult grandson was in the basement at the time of the stabbing and phoned police.

Chakastaypasin Chief Calvin Sanderson – who is not related to the suspects – said everyone’s been affected by the tragic events.

‘They were our relatives, friends,’ Sanderson said of the victims. ‘It’s pretty horrific.’

Indigenous people account for less than 5 per cent of Canada’s population of about 38 million and suffer from higher levels of poverty, unemployment and a lower life expectancy than other Canadians. 

Saskatchewan RCMP has confirmed that there are 10 dead while 15 are injured following the stabbings that occurred at James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon

Coroners, police officers, and forensic teams gathered at the scenes of the stabbings on Sunday as they continued to piece together evidence and hunt down the two men. 

Speaking at a news conference in Regina, Blackmore said: ‘Let me be clear, we are still looking for the two suspects. We are asking residents across Saskatchewan and our neighboring provinces to be vigilant.’

Blackmore added: ‘Our thoughts are with the many victims deceased and injured their family, friends and communities. It is horrific what has occurred in our province today.

‘If Damian and Myles are listening or receive this information, I would ask that they turn themselves in to police immediately.’

Following the fatal stabbing spree, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: ‘The attacks in Saskatchewan today are horrific and heartbreaking. I’m thinking of those who have lost a loved one and of those who were injured.’

‘We are closely monitoring the situation, and urge everyone to follow updates from local authorities,’ he continued. ‘Thank you to all the brave first responders for their efforts on the ground.’

There are 13 crime scenes, where either deceased or injured people were found, police confirmed.

Damien is described as five feet seven inches tall and 155 pounds, and Myles is described as as six-foot-one and 200 pounds. Both have black hair and brown eyes and may be driving a black Nissan Rogue.  

A police forensics team investigates a crime scene following the horrific killing spree

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted : ‘The attacks in Saskatchewan today are horrific and heartbreaking. I’m thinking of those who have lost a loved one and of those who were injured’

The PM continued that they are closely monitoring the situation, and urge everyone to follow updates from local authorities

A police officer walks through the scene of a stabbing in Weldon, Saskatchewan

The search for suspects was carried out as sports fans descended in Regina for a sold out annual Labor Day game between the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. 

But police urged those in attendance to stay vigilant as they deployed additional forces to put locals’ minds at ease following the brutal knifing spree.  

The RCMP said in a message on Twitter: ‘If in the Regina area, take precautions & consider sheltering in place. Do not leave a secure location. DO NOT APPROACH suspicious persons. Do not pick up hitch hikers. 

‘Report suspicious persons, emergencies or info to 9-1-1. Do not disclose police locations.’

The Regina Police Service said in a news release that with the help of Mounties, it was working on several fronts to locate and arrest the suspects and had ‘deployed additional resources for public safety throughout the city, including the football game at Mosaic Stadium.’

The alert first issued by Melfort, Saskatchewan RCMP about 7am was extended hours later to cover Manitoba and Alberta, as the two suspects remained at large.

A police forensics team investigates a crime scene after multiple people were killed and injured in a stabbing spree

Rhonda Blackmore, the Assistant Commissioner of the RCMP Saskatchewan, said some of the victims appear to have been targeted by the suspects but others appear to have been attacked at random. She couldn’t provide a motive

Damien is described as five feet seven inches tall and 155 pounds, and Myles is described as as six-foot-one and 200 pounds. Both have black hair and brown eyes and may be driving a black Nissan Rogue

Canadian police said Sunday 10 people are dead from stabbings in 13 locations in two communities in the province of Saskatchewan and police are looking for two suspects

The Saskatchewan Health Authority said multiple patients were being treated at several sites.

‘A call for additional staff was issued to respond to the influx of casualties,’ authority spokeswoman Anne Linemann said in an email.

Mark Oddan, a spokesman with STARS Air Ambulance, said two helicopters were dispatched from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and another from Regina.

He said two carried patients to the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, while the third carried a patient to Royal University from a hospital in Melfort, a short distance southeast of the village of Weldon.

Oddan said due to privacy laws, he could not disclose information about their ages, genders or conditions.

Diane Shier, a resident of Weldon resident Diane Shier told the VC Star that her neighbor, a man who lived with his grandson, was killed. She did not want to identify the victim out of respect for his family.

‘I am very upset because I lost a good neighbor,’ she said, explaining that she was in her garden on Sunday when she noticed emergency crews nearby.

A police forensics team investigates a crime scene after multiple people were killed and injured in a stabbing spree in Weldon, Saskatchewan

Investigators gather in front of a table near the scene of stabbing in Weldon, Saskatchewan

The attack is among the deadliest mass killings in Canadian history.

The deadliest gun rampage in Canadian history happened in 2020 when a man disguised as a police officer shot people in their homes and set fires across the province of Nova Scotia, killing 22 people. 

A man used a van to kill 10 pedestrians in Toronto in 2019. But mass killings are less common in Canada than in the United States.

Deadly mass stabbings are more rare than mass shootings but have happened around the world. 

In 2014, 29 people were slashed and stabbed to death at a train station in China’s southwestern city of Kunming. 

In 2016, a mass stabbing at a facility for the mentally disabled in Sagamihara, Japan, left 19 people dead. A year later, three men killed eight people in a vehicle and stabbing attack at London Bridge.

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