In Canada’s Bucolic Prairie Region, a Mass Stabbing Shocks the Country

WELDON, Saskatchewan — The horror began at 5:40 a.m. on Sunday, when the police received a report of a stabbing on a rural Indigenous reserve in the western Canadian province of Saskatchewan. By the time the rampage was over, hours later, the police said that 10 people were dead and 18 wounded — some apparently chosen at random — in a killing spree that has shaken the country.

One of the two suspects in the mass killings, Damien Sanderson, was found dead on Monday in a grassy area near a house being investigated as part of the attacks on the Cree Nation reserve, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said. They said his injuries did not appear to be self-inflicted.

The police said a manhunt was still underway for his brother Myles Sanderson, who may also have been injured and may seek medical attention. They said that Myles Sanderson had a lengthy criminal record, and that the public should be vigilant.

The police said they were investigating how Damien Sanderson had died, including whether his brother had killed him.

While details about the men and their motive remained murky, a Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers notice showed that Myles Sanderson had been wanted by the police before Sunday’s attacks.

In a country that prides itself on its civility, the knife attacks at the James Smith Cree Nation and a nearby village called Weldon were one of the worst mass killings in recent memory, and they reverberated across Canada.

In Weldon, a sleepy farming village near the 27-square-mile Cree Nation reservation, some residents said they had hidden in their homes after learning of the attack and had locked their doors Sunday night for the first time ever.

Canada’s bucolic prairie region is known for its rolling landscapes and farming industry. But on Monday, residents of Saskatchewan, with 1.2 million people, woke up to find their province under a global spotlight. And with both suspects still on the loose then, the province was on edge.

“I was terrified to go to sleep last night,” said Ruby Works, a resident of Weldon, who said a close friend, an older man who was a bird lover, had been killed in the attack. Ms. Works, 42, said she was out looking for her cat on Sunday when a police officer warned her to go inside.

In Weldon, a community of 160 people that is dominated by two towering grain elevators, residents said anxiety, grief and fear had spread following the attack. About half of the population in the town of less than one-square mile is over 60.

Residents said the town, peppered with dirt roads and bungalows, was the kind of place where everyone knows one another.

“Last night, I locked my doors for the first time, but it was only because my 12-year-old asked me to,” said a resident, April Audette, referring to her daughter.

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