Weldon residents still in shock over Sunday’s horrific events

Weldon resident Diane Shier is trying to piece together what happened in her community Sunday.

Weldon and the James Smith Cree Nation were the two areas where a stabbing spree took place involving two suspects, one of whom remains on the run.

The suspects are alleged to have killed 10 people in the communities and injured at least 18.

“(People in the community) are kind of in shock,” Shier said.

Shier is one of the 200 or so people who live in the town and she says her neighbour of 40 years was one of the 10 killed.

“We’ve lost a very nice man to this horrendous episode that went on in town,” Shier said.

Ruby Works said Monday she was still in shock over the incident and the loss of a man she said was like an uncle to her.

“I’m terrified to go to sleep,” she said. “I’m even terrified to open my door. I’m terrified they’re going to come back and kill again (and) pick another random house.”

Shier explained she received an alert on her phone Sunday morning warning about the suspects who allegedly had stabbed several people on the James Smith Cree Nation, which is about 10 minutes from Weldon.

“I carried on with my day and we were out in the garden and we’d seen the ambulance go by and the police cars,” Shier said. “My husband went out and saw them all around (her neighbour’s) place.

“We didn’t know at the time what was going on and then they sent out another alert saying Weldon was involved with that alert and we heard that (the neighbour) had been stabbed and he was dead. The police had been around and talked to some people.”

Shier said after that, they remained locked inside their house for most of the day.

She says her neighbour wasn’t the only person impacted, as the suspects approached another neighbour’s home.

“They had gone to another door and there was a lady sitting outside having coffee,” she explained. “They drove up there and wondered if they could get a ride to some place. Her 89-year-old mom came out and both of them said no.

“They just went and (the neighbours) were very fortunate they didn’t get stabbed.”

Main Street in Weldon on Sept. 5, 2022. (Brent Bosker/650 CKOM)

The town’s main street was deserted Monday, which Works said was a result of the attacks.

“Usually people are outdoors cutting their grass,” she said. “Now they’re all terrified to come out after hearing this. We did not expect this.”

It is not known how many people in Weldon were impacted by the stabbing spree.

The manhunt was continuing Monday for one of the suspects, Myles Sanderson. The other, Damien Sanderson, was found dead on the James Smith Cree Nation on Monday morning.

Myles is said to be 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

On Sunday, police were operating on the assumption the men were in Regina. The vehicle they were said to be in — a black Nissan Rogue with Saskatchewan licence plate 119 MPI — had been seen in the Arcola Avenue area Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday night, the provincial government announced it had activated Provincial Command and added 16 staff members from Provincial Protective Services to help police forces in their search for the men.

The government also revealed that it had deployed victim services to the communities affected, and that support for the area was being supported by the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s mental health staffing resources and Prince Albert Grand Council.

Flags at the Legislative Building and other provincial government buildings were lowered and will remain at half-mast for one day for each of the lives lost in the rampage.