The 10 victims of the mass killing on James Smith Cree Nation in 2022. RCMP later revealed that Damien Sanderson, originally a suspect, was also a victim. (submitted photos/RCMP)

By Susan McNeil

James Smith mass killing

Dates finalized for inquest into James Smith killings

Dec 8, 2023 | 11:24 AM

The inquest into the deaths of 11 people on the James Smith Cree Nation have been finalized, according to the Saskatchewan coroner’s website.

Between January 15 and February 2 of next year, the inquest into the 10 deaths on the First Nation and the death of one man in Weldon will be held in Melfort.

READ MORE: https://panow.com/2022/09/07/victims-of-stabbing-attack-identified/

Starting February 26, a second inquest into how Myles Sanderson – the man who did the killings – came to die in the back of an RCMP cruiser – will happen, but in Saskatoon. That inquest is expected to wrap up by March 1.

The first inquest is discretionary but the second one into Sanderson’s death is mandatory by law as he was in police custody when he died.

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On September 4, 2022, Myles Sanderson went on a killing spree in James Smith, going from home to home, stabbing some of the residents, leading to the 11 deaths but also injuring 17 other people.

His brother Damien, who had partially planned the killings with him, tried to stop him and was killed early in the chain of events.

READ MORE: https://panow.com/2023/04/27/rcmp-timeline-shows-damien-sanderson-first-to-die-in-james-smith-killings/

Sanderson then fled the reserve, stopped in Weldon where he stabbed and killed Wesley Petterson before managing to evade capture for several days.

RCMP announced the results of their investigation into the chain of events at the end of April. No details of how Sanderson came to die were released, although paNOW received information he had overdosed from a confidential source.

Sanderson was on Highway 11 that runs from Prince Albert to Saskatoon, near the community of Rosthern, when police pulled him over and caught him.

READ MORE: https://panow.com/2022/09/07/manhunt-over-stabbing-suspect-captured-near-rosthern/

They announced within several hours that Sanderson had died.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com