Canada manhunt ends as mass stabbing suspect Myles Sanderson dies from self-inflicted wounds, official says

The suspect wanted in connection to a stabbing spree that left 10 dead in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan has died from self-inflicted injuries after police tracked down the stolen car he was traveling in along a highway, an official says. 

The death of Myles Sanderson, 32, brings an end to the massive manhunt launched Sunday following the string of attacks in the James Smith Cree First Nation reserve and nearby town of Weldon. The other suspect in the killings, Sanderson's 30-year-old brother, Damien Sanderson, was found dead Monday. 

"This evening our province is breathing a collective sigh of relief," Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commander of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Saskatchewan, said at a news conference Wednesday night. 

Blackmore said Myles Sanderson was cornered in Rosthern – about an hour and 20-minute drive from the James Cree Smith Nation -- as police units responded to a report of a stolen vehicle being driven by a man armed with a knife. She said officers forced Sanderson’s vehicle off the road and into a ditch. He was detained, and a knife was found inside the vehicle, she said. 

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Sanderson went into medical distress while in custody, Blackmore said. She said CPR was attempted on him before an ambulance arrived, and emergency medical personnel then took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

"All lifesaving measures that we are capable of were taken at that time," she said. 

Blackmore gave no details on the cause of death. "I can’t speak to the specific manner of death," she said. 

However, an official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity earlier said Sanderson died of self-inflicted injuries, without giving any further details. 

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The federal public safety minister, Marco Mendicino, also stressed that the events will be investigated.

"You have questions. We have questions," he told reporters during a Cabinet retreat in Vancouver, British Columbia, adding: "There will be two levels of police who will be investigating the circumstances of Myles Sanderson's death."

Blackmore said that with both men dead, authorities will find it hard to figure out what set off the rampage.

"Now that Myles is deceased we may never have an understanding of that motivation," she said. 

She added she hoped the families of the stabbing victims will find some comfort that neither of the Sandersons remains a threat.

"I hope that this brings them closure. I hope they can rest easy knowing that Myles Sanderson is no longer a threat to them." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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