Inquest jury finds Myles Sanderson’s death accidental, makes four recommendations

After 5 1/2 hours of deliberations Thursday, the six-member jury in the Myles Sanderson death inquest found the 32-year-old’s death was an accident.

The jury found he died at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon at 4:39 p.m. on Sept. 7, 2022.

Four recommendations were also offered to the Saskatoon Police Service and the RCMP:

• That the SPS consider establishing a dedicated team tasked with arresting individuals who are subject to outstanding warrants for their arrest;
• That the RCMP consider implementing mandatory enhanced driver training, including the “PIT” manoeuvre;
• That the RCMP consider a review in policy of criteria in high-speed pursuit in the interest of safety to all involved;
• That the RCMP consider implementing additional training in the form of enhanced extraction techniques for the purposes of arrest takedowns.

Sanderson killed 11 people and injured another 17 on Sept. 4, 2022 on the James Smith Cree Nation and in nearby Weldon.

He was caught three days later on Sept. 7, after RCMP Const. Heidi Marshall employed the precision immobilization technique (PIT) manoeuvre during a high-speed chase along Highway 11 north of Saskatoon.

The stolen white Chevy Avalanche that Sanderson was driving came to a stop beside the highway, where officers pulled him from the vehicle and arrested him.

A short time later, he collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. A pathologist and toxicologist both testified during the inquest that Sanderson ingested more than 10 times the amount of cocaine that would normally cause a fatal overdose.

According to testimony from advanced care paramedics, Sanderson “flatlined” a short time later, and even though he was given adrenaline and half a dozen doses of epinephrine in an attempt to restore a heartbeat, the attempts were unsuccessful.

An emergency room doctor at RUH pronounced him dead a short time after he arrived there by ground ambulance.

A previous inquest in Melfort investigated the deaths of Sanderson’s murder victims. That inquest resulted in 29 recommendations.

Sanderson family inquest representation

Eddie Head, the James Smith Cree Nation’s director of justice, represented the Sanderson family at the Saskatoon inquest, including Myles’ mother Beverly and his brother Ernest Sanderson.

Head said the last four days brought closure to many on the First Nation.

“They wanted to understand, ‘How did Myles end his life?’ ” said Head, who was Sanderson’s uncle.

A dashcam video played about a dozen times at the inquest showed the chase with the RCMP and Sanderson’s arrest, and Head said it helped not only to answer the family’s questions but also to dispel mistrust and anger towards the Mounties.

“There was a lot of rumours that the RCMP were mistreating Myles, but obviously as you’ve seen in the report, that he wasn’t mistreated. They tried to help extend his life,” Head added.

He also said that Sanderson’s mother faced her fears by attending the second inquest to find out what happened to her son. He told her she was a good person.

“Realistically, all we can do when (children) get bigger, we can’t administer their life,” he said.

Asked whether his family has any resentment towards Sanderson for killing relatives and other members of the community, Head replied no.

“You can never have resentment for a person who did that because if you want to heal, you have to forgive, and if you can’t forgive, you’ll never heal,” said Head.

RCMP reacts to recommendations

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, who attended the last part of the inquest to hear the jury’s decision and recommendations, said she hoped the last week provided the families with some of the answers they were looking for.

“Also, it is very traumatic and a lot for them to go through,” added Blackmore, the commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP.

Blackmore said she was impressed with the JSCN’s leadership’s, including Chief Wally Burns’ work to move the community forward and to enact change.

“We often hear about, ‘We want change.’ They are actively making change and it is so incredibly positive,” she said.

“The fact that they’ve been able to lead through these incredibly difficult times, these aren’t just leaders. These are people who are impacted … and despite all that, they’ve shown exceptional resilience to be determined to move their communities forward,” she added.

Blackmore said there was always lots of work to be done and that the RCMP had already been working towards implementing some of the recommendations offered to the police force during the first inquest in Melfort.

She added that in the coming weeks, an independent officer review in relation to the RCMP response on the JSCN in September 2022 will be publicly released.

Speaking after the recommendations were delivered, Burns said his goal was still for a national inquiry, and for more funding from the federal government.

Burns said meetings are scheduled with federal officials on March 11.

In the meantime, he and other leadership are trying to teach youth traditional and modern ways through education additional activities for youth, including a new arena.

“I was a kid once, and I really want to give back to the community,” he said.