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At least 10 are dead after stabbing attacks in Canada

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

Ten people are dead and at least 15 others are injured following multiple stabbings in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are looking for two suspects in connection to Sunday's attacks. Here's Saskatchewan RCMP commanding officer Rhonda Blackmore talking yesterday at a press conference.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

RHONDA BLACKMORE: At this stage in our investigation, we believe some of the victims have been targeted by the suspect and others have been attacked randomly.

MARTIN: Police say people were stabbed in at least 13 different locations.

MARTÍNEZ: Mickey Djuric is a Saskatchewan correspondent for the Canadian Press, joining us from the city of Melfort. Mickey, what can you tell us about what happened yesterday?

MICKEY DJURIC: Thanks for having me. Well, so it started yesterday morning where the National Police Service had received a phone call regarding a stabbing that occurred on an Indigenous first nation. And one call led to another. And eventually, they reported that 10 people were dead across 13 locations, another 15 people have been injured. But police believe that there could be more. And the stabbings occurred mostly in James Smith Cree Nation. It's a very small community up in the province's north. It's located within a small farming community, very rural. Most of the roads here are gravel roads. And then another stabbing occurred about 20 minutes away from there in Weldon. And that also is a small town, about 200 people. And I can say, residents in the area are very much on edge as police across three provinces are searching for these two suspects.

MARTÍNEZ: We heard earlier that some of the victims may have been targeted. What do we know about them?

DJURIC: We don't know much. Police aren't saying anything about motive at this time. What they did tell us earlier in the day is that they believe that some of the victims were targeted. But they also believe that some of the victims were attacked randomly. They haven't answered any questions - if this was drug-fueled or why these two individuals have done this. The suspects, Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson, both share the last name. They also will not share the connection between the two men. I can say I'm staying in a hotel about 20 minutes away from the Indigenous reservation. And there is a heavy, heavy police presence. Officers from across the province have been deployed to the area. And it really does look like a big manhunt.

MARTÍNEZ: We mentioned that they have the same last name. But we still don't know if they're related, right?

DJURIC: Right. I did speak to some witnesses in the area. They do say that they are brothers. But police have not confirmed that to media at this time.

MARTÍNEZ: OK. Now, the two alleged attackers are still on the loose. Do police have any idea about where they are or where they might be headed?

DJURIC: Last we heard is that they were in Regina, which is the city's capital. Their vehicle that they allegedly had stolen was spotted in the city, which is about almost a four-hour drive south of the location where these stabbings occurred. It kind of complicated things because on Sunday, we had this huge football game in the area. And it's one of the biggest football games of the year, so police had asked everyone in the area to be alert and try to stay in their homes if they could. They're still advising people to do that. And they're also asking people in Manitoba and Alberta to be on the lookout.

MARTÍNEZ: Mickey Djuric is a Saskatchewan correspondent for the Canadian Press. Mickey, thank you.

DJURIC: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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