Emails lay out Regina police response to Sanderson investigation

Shortly after a stabbing rampage on the James Smith Cree Nation, there were reports that a vehicle carrying the suspects had been seen in Regina.

In a subsequent email to members of the Regina Police Service — one of many on the subject obtained by The Canadian Press under freedom of information laws — Police Chief Evan Bray said that sighting “swiftly brought us into the unexpected storm.”

On Sept. 4, nine people were killed on the James Smith Cree Nation and one was killed in the nearby village of Weldon. Another 18 people were injured in the rampage.

Police identified brothers Myles and Damien Sanderson as the suspects and issued a dangerous persons alert for them early Sept. 4. The focus of the investigation shifted to Regina after police received a report of a possible sighting of the pair in the city’s east end.

Emails show the RCMP told Bray about “possible connections” to Regina just before the sighting of the suspects’ vehicle.

That vehicle — a black Nissan Rogue with Saskatchewan licence plate 119 MPI — had been spotted on Arcola Avenue, so police immediately started searching for the brothers in Regina.

Even after Damien was found dead on the James Smith Cree Nation on Sept. 5 — making him the 11th person to die in the rampage — the Regina police kept searching for Myles in the city.

On Sept. 6, Bray posted a video to social media saying police no longer thought Myles was in the Queen City.

“Early on Sunday, we had information that proved to be reliable that Myles Sanderson was in our community and, as a result, the Regina Police Service was assisting the RCMP in trying to locate him,” Bray said in the video. “Today, we’ve received information that is leading us to believe he may no longer be in this community.

“As a result, investigations continue and although we don’t know his whereabouts, we are still looking not only within the city of Regina but (we’ve) expanded into the province as well.”

Police have never confirmed whether Sanderson ever made it to the Queen City during his time on the run. He was captured Sept. 7 by the RCMP near Rosthern, but he went into what the Mounties called “medical distress” shortly after his arrest and was pronounced dead at a Saskatoon hospital.

According to the emails, at some point during the manhunt Bray had information that the suspect was not in the city.

On Sept. 9, the Nissan Rogue was found about four kilometres east of Crystal Springs, a community nearly 300 kilometres north of Regina.

The emails obtained by The Canadian Press show about 40 Regina police employees were part of the response to the sighting, including detectives and additional patrol officers.

Regina police declined an interview request with Bray, stating the investigation was led by the RCMP, and the chief would not give interviews before an inquest takes place.

— With files from The Canadian Press.