RCMP timeline shows Damien Sanderson first to die in James Smith killings

Myles Sanderson shows up at James Smith

The timeline shows that Myles went to James Smith on Sept. 1 and that he and Damien spent the next few days selling cocaine around the community, buying alcohol in Kinistino, and assaulting several people while doing so. No serious injuries were reported in those assaults and none were reported to police.

Melfort RCMP got a phone tip on Sept. 3 that Damien had stolen a vehicle, was possibly driving impaired, and had an outstanding arrest warrant.

Officers headed out early that morning, looking for Damien and finding him, but not knowing it because he looked very different from the latest photo officers had access to that was taken in 2014.

The officers spoke to what turned out to be Damien in a house but were given the name of another person when they asked who he was. They then spent some time driving around the community looking for him.

“At no time during all of the interactions Melfort detachment had with the caller was Myles Sanderson’s name mentioned or any threats of violence reported,” said Graham.

The same day, Damien made the comments to the bar friend and to a child in a home the brothers had broken into while looking for someone.

By 4:00 a.m. on Sept. 4, the brothers made their last known drug sale to two women in James Smith and just before 5:00 am, they were in House #620 and were “described by an occupant of the residence as ‘guzzling booze’ and ‘pumping themselves up for something’,” according to Graham.

A witness told police later that the brothers appeared to be “pumping themselves up” for something. Damien, however, was the first to die, killed by Myles. (screen shot/RCMP briefing)

The killings start

They then left and the killing spree started at House #33, where the first victim was injured when Myles attacked him with a pair of scissors. Police received their first report of stabbings at 5:40 a.m. on Sept. 4 from that victim.

“During the attack, Damien stepped in between Myles and the injured adult male which stopped the assault,” Graham explained.

Damien told the victim not to call the police and the brothers left in a gray Dodge Caravan, with Myles grabbing a kitchen knife on the way out.

Officers left Melfort at 5:52 a.m., 12 minutes after getting the first call and arrived at James Smith at 6:18 a.m., travelling at almost 180 km/hour.

“After Damien and Myles left House #33, there was an altercation between them in the gray Dodge Caravan,” Graham said.

It took another day before Damien’s body was found in the bushes where his brother had left him. In that time, the police response was focused on both men doing the attacks together and travelling in a black Nissan Rogue.

This brought tips from as far away as Regina and British Columbia, all of which had to be pursued said Graham.

Meanwhile, before the police had arrived in James Smith, Myles crashed the van into the side of House #10, where he then killed Robert Sanderson and attacked another man, who survived.

He left the van in the house and went to House #15, where he killed Christian Head and Lana Head and then went to House #83 where he injured two people, who managed to flee.

At House #1020, where Bonnie and Gregory Burns lived along with two boys, Gregory made it out of the house but was killed outside while Bonnie was not. Myles would return to this house later.

A brief stop at House #620 resulted in the person inside later telling police Myles came in bloody, carrying a knife and talking about 10 bodies. He demanded keys to a vehicle then left after the occupant refused to hand them over.

He then stole a GMC Terrain from another residence and drove it to House #17, broke in and attacked Earl Burns and his wife.

“Miles drove away in the White GMC terrain, and Earl chased the vehicle while driving a school bus,” said Graham.

The bus drove a short distance down the road and stopped, where investigators later found Earl deceased inside.

At House #33, Myles attacked both Thomas Burns, the youngest victim to die that day at age 23, and his mother Carol Burns.

Thomas died outside the home.

At the next house, one person was injured, and Myles again left the scene on foot. He went to several houses, demanding keys to vehicles and being denied.

Eventually, he got the keys to a red Dodge Caravan but abandoned it shortly afterwards and went back to House #1020 where Lydia Gloria Burns was providing aid to Gregory after being called by Bonnie Burns. He attacked and killed both women.

Myles then went to House #87 where he found a black Nissan Rogue. He drove this vehicle to House #4 asking for a man who wasn’t home. He then attacked a woman and another person inside before driving away in the Rogue and going to Kinistino, arriving at about 7:00 a.m.

He approached a home and asked for money and gas from a woman, but he never left the vehicle and drove away.

From there, he went to Weldon where he killed his last victim, Wesley Petterson. He attacked Petterson and was heard by someone in the basement, who had assumed it was Petterson walking around and stayed in the basement.

Altogether, 11 people died that day and 17 more were injured.

Myles surfaced three days later

It was three days before anyone saw Myles again. He went to an acreage in Crystal Spring and, after breaking in and confronting a woman in the home, stole his last vehicle, a white Chevy Avalanche.

He drove it to One Arrow, where he was spotted by a resident who told him he did not have a working vehicle and then headed west on Highway 312 towards Rosthern at 3:17 p.m. He was seen by an officer in an unmarked vehicle.

After failing to stop for police, Myles drove south at about 150 km/hour in the northbound lane of Highway 11 before police response forced him off the highway at 3:28 p.m.

In the police vehicle, Myles started showing signs of medical distress at 3:33 p.m. and was given first aid then taken to the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, where he eventually died.

Even with the investigation not yet over, RCMP said 500 officers and employees have been directly involved, with more help coming from municipal police services and the Coroner’s Service.

Some items are still under examination for DNA and the force is waiting for reports on bloodstain pattern analysis, another from the behavourial science branch and information from forensic identification specialists.

Myles Sanderson was captured by police on Sept. 7 after driving the wrong way on Hwy. 11 near Rosthern. (submitted photo)

Inquests will have more details

More details will be released at two inquests that have been scheduled for 2024.

One inquest will cover the deaths of the 11 victims and a separate inquest will examine the details of how Myles Sanderson died.

They will likely be held in January 2024. The Coroner’s office is working with the leadership of the James Smith Cree Nation, but times depend on the completion of the RCMP investigation.

Some information was not released as it will be part of the Coroner’s Inquest scheduled for January of 2024. Information was given about the time that Myles was arrested on Sept. 7 and a very brief description of him showing signs of medical distress before being taken to a Saskatoon hospital where he died.

Also kept back was information from Corrections Service of Canada and the Parole Board.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

by Susan McNeil

RCMP timeline shows Damien Sanderson first to die in James Smith killings

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