Miles Sanderson was a suspect in the attacks on the James Smith Cree Nation and in Weldon, Sask., that sparked a manhunt last week. He was arrested on a rural stretch of highway last Wednesday, after which police say he suffered “medical distress” and died in custody. In addition to the 10 people killed, Miles’ brother Damien, also a suspect, was found dead in the reserve. The Correctional Service of Canada says Miles Sanderson left prison on parole in August 2021 and was declared unlawfully free in late May, more than 100 days before the stabbings. Last year, the Saskatchewan RCMP created a special unit to track down people wanted for violating their parole conditions. But RCMP say the unit was not investigating Sanderson’s case while he was at large. The force says officers currently have more than 6,000 outstanding warrants to deal with and the unit is focused on finding “high profile” offenders and gang members.
Parole documents show a long list of offenses
The stabbings have raised questions about what police and prison authorities should do when people with violent criminal records breach the rules of their freedom. Parole documents show Sanderson was convicted of 59 felonies as an adult, including 28 for failing to comply with parole conditions or failing to appear in court. His criminal record included violent attacks, including against people who were victims of the recent attacks. In May, Crime Stoppers released an alert that Sanderson was wanted for arrest and was last seen in Saskatoon. A copy of the warrant issued for Sanderson’s arrest in May said he had no fixed address. Saskatoon is one of two locations for the new provincially-funded program, staffed by RCMP, which works with municipal police to track down high-profile offenders with outstanding warrants. Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Justice says the RCMP oversees the unit’s operations.
RCMP say the special unit receives several requests a day
In a statement, Saskatchewan RCMP say the warrant enforcement and suppression unit was not actively investigating Sanderson because he was illegally at large in the months leading up to the attacks. He says that as of Sept. 10, investigators were monitoring a list of 63 people who had been illegally released from the Correctional Service of Canada in the province. He says the unit receives several requests a day and “supports the arrest of high-profile offenders and gang members with outstanding warrants.” “It prioritizes people who are unlawfully and generally actively committing violent offences,” a spokesman said. “Investigators also look at levels of violence against individuals, propensity to reoffend, seriousness of offenses and possible gang involvement.” An analytical team also monitors locations where crime is increasing to help investigators focus their efforts, and the force says it prioritizes the RCMP’s jurisdiction in rural areas. The RCMP says the unit began implementation in May and, “as you can imagine, it takes time to fully implement a new team.” So far, the four investigators have made 12 arrests. RCMP say they are also hiring two more officers for the unit. There are about 6,680 outstanding arrest warrants in Saskatchewan, the RCMP says. In Sanderson’s case, Correctional Service Canada and the Parole Board are convening a joint board of inquiry to determine whether policies and protocols were followed and make recommendations. It’s unclear when that investigation will begin, but the federal government says it will share the results publicly.
