Sunday morning, Canadian police searched for two suspects in a stabbing spree that left 10 people dead and at least 15 others injured, largely in a thinly inhabited indigenous village.
The knife attacks at 13 crime locations were among the deadliest mass murders in modern Canadian history and are guaranteed to echo throughout the country, which is not accustomed to the more frequent occurrences of mass violence in the United States.
Damien Sanderson, 31, and Myles Sanderson, 30, were identified as the two suspects by the police, who provided images and descriptions but no other information about their purpose or the victims.
The attacks may have been tied to drugs, according to a statement released by indigenous elders.
Local media said that a mother of two was among the 10 individuals killed, citing the woman's former spouse.
Michael Brett Burns told Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, "It's disgusting how incarceration, drugs, and alcohol can ruin so many lives."
Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers, a program that encourages public cooperation with police, designated Myles Sanderson in May as "unlawfully at large." There were no other explanations for why he was wanted.
The two men were observed in Regina, some 320 kilometers (200 miles) south of the attacks in the James Smith Cree Nation and the community of Weldon, according to authorities.
According to investigators, there may be further injured individuals who drove themselves to different hospitals.
William Smith Cree Nation is an indigenous village with a population of approximately 3,400 involved mostly in agriculture, hunting, and fishing. Weldon is a community with roughly 200 residents.
In reaction to the multiple murders and assaults on members of the James Smith Cree Country, the nation's chosen elders declared a state of emergency and formed two emergency operations centers, the nation announced in a statement.
Indigenous people account for less than 5% of Canada's approximately 38 million-person population and have higher rates of poverty, joblessness, and a shorter life expectancy compared to the rest of the country.
Trudeau noted that his administration has been in frequent communication with the James Smith Cree Nation's leadership and that "we are ready to assist in any way imaginable."
Three hours after the initial stabbings were recorded at 5:40 a.m., police issued a province-wide notice for dangerous persons. Similar alerts were issued in Saskatchewan's bordering provinces, Alberta and Manitoba, by the afternoon.
In police advisories, individuals were asked to report suspicious individuals and to take precautions, such as hiding in place, while being cautioned against picking up hitchhikers or approaching strange individuals.
