RCMP say the second suspect wanted in connection to string of deadly stabbings northeast of Saskatoon died shortly after he was arrested Wednesday afternoon.
Just after 4 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST) RCMP announced that it ended a dangerous person alert issued for 32-year-old Myles Sanderson.
Police say Sanderson was arrested near Rosthern, Sask., at 3:30 p.m. CST, which is approximately 149 kilometres southwest of James Smith Cree Nation, where 11 people, including Myles' 31-year-old brother Damien, were found stabbed to death.
During a press conference Wednesday evening, RCMP in Saskatchewan said Sanderson went into medical distress after he was apprehended.
"Shortly after his arrest, he went into medical distress," said said RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore. "Nearby EMS were called by police to attend the scene and he was transported to a hospital in Saskatoon. He was pronounced deceased at the hospital."
Officers say they cannot speak on the matter of Sanderson's death at this time.
Police located Sanderson after they received a call at around 2:07 p.m. CST that a man believed to be Sanderson, armed with a knife, had attended a residence northeast of Wakaw, Sask. During the interaction, Sanderson reportedly stole a white, Chevrolet Avalanche. The homeowner was not injured during this exchange.
After he sped off, RCMP received calls from the public with sightings of Sanderson travelling in a vehicle. As a result, police issued another emergency alert at 2:49 p.m. for the Wakaw region while officers worked to locate Sanderson.
Shortly after 3 p.m., an unmarked RCMP officer spotted Sanderson, who was reportedly speeding at 150 kilometres per hour heading west on the highway towards Rosthern.
Police caught up to Sanderson at around 3:30 p.m. on Highway 11 just south of Rosthern. Officers then directed the suspect truck off the road into a ditch. Officers surrounded the vehicle, and confirmed his identity and Sanderson was taken into custody shortly after. Police say they also found a knife inside the vehicle.
Myles and Damien were subject of a police manhunt throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba after 10 people were found dead and 19 injured across three different crime scenes on James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, a neighbouring village, early Sunday morning.
The pair then reportedly took off in a black Nissan Rogue, this vehicle has still not been recovered.
Police found Damien's body on James Smith Cree Nation on Monday, while Myles' whereabouts remained at large. Investigators suspected that Myles may have sustained injuries after he fled the area.
While many are breathing a sigh of relief over Myles' capture, many questions remain unanswered.
"I hope that this brings them some sense of closure in that they can rest easy tonight knowing that Myles Sanderson is no longer a threat to them," Blackmore said. "Hopefully this is the first step to allow them to start that healing process, that grieving process."
Police say a possible motivation is not clear.
The investigation is ongoing.
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