Brother of James Smith Cree Nation victim hopes for brighter future for youth | 24CA News
The Saskatchewan RCMP launched a preliminary timeline of the occasions surrounding the James Smith Cree Nation stabbings on Thursday, leaving some hoping for change.
“We have to start looking at the trauma and looking at the truth of this and we have to start taking responsibilities, not only just natives,” mentioned Darryl Burns of James Smith Cree Nation.
Burns’ sister Lydia Gloria Burns was one of many victims of the mass casualty murder that came about on Sept. 4, 2022.
On Thursday, Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore and Supt. Joshua Graham gave a three-hour presentation specializing in the actions of Myles and Damien Sanderson earlier than the morning of Sept. 4, the sequence of assaults and their motion all through the group.
Myles Sanderson left 11 individuals lifeless and 17 injured in his stabbing spree that affected the First Nation, in addition to the close by group of Weldon.
The variety of injured was reported as 18 on the time of the crime however was up to date within the RCMP briefing Thursday to 17.
It was revealed that Damien Sanderson, Myles’ brother and a earlier suspect, was the primary sufferer within the string of killings.
“My sister and Myles had something in common and so did the rest of the victims here,” mentioned Burns, who was concerned with the group’s disaster response group on the time of the bloodbath. “We are all a victim of drugs and addictions. If you go behind the addictions and look at all the trauma we have suffered, we all have that in common.”
Myles Sanderson went to an tackle in the course of the stabbings the place he attacked Gregory Burns, Bonnie Burns and two youths. When he left, Gregory was lifeless, however Bonnie was nonetheless alive.
He left and went on to kill 5 extra individuals.
In the meantime, Burns’ sister Lydia Gloria Burns arrived to assist her buddy Bonnie. While she was there, Sanderson returned to Bonnie’s home. He killed them each.
“I want her death to have some sort of teaching to it, a lesson to it, and not only our family, but all of the Indigenous communities across Canada,” mentioned Burns.
“I’m very proud of my sister for what she has done and the way she acted that morning. I know in my heart that she is a hero.”
Police had been on a manhunt for Sanderson, which ultimately led to his seize on Sept. 7, 2022, within the night close to Rosthern.
Global News confirmed Sanderson was lifeless a short time later, with police sources saying Sanderson died in police custody after ingesting medication. RCMP haven’t confirmed the reason for Sanderson’s demise.
Burns mentioned he’s starting to appreciate simply how laborious it was for the RCMP to catch Sanderson.
“I realized how much chaos, confusion, terror was happening that morning…. How could anyone know where he was or where he was going to go and what he was going to do?” he mentioned, noting that Sanderson used six completely different automobiles over the course of the stabbings.
Burns mentioned that generational trauma and struggles with addictions have plagued the group for a very long time.
“That negative stuff that we have learned in the residential schools and generations and generations of prejudices, we have taken those behaviours and turned them on each other,” Burns mentioned. “I look at the policing system, the justice system in our country and how it has had a lot of racial prejudices in it and a lot of the injustices are directed at us native people.
“You look at the trickle effect, how did it affect Myles? How did it affect Damien growing up in a society like that?”
He is asking on Indigenous communities to start out specializing in their youth, so they could be capable of defend kids from the problems Sanderson confronted.
“We started to treat each other the way our ancestors were treated in residential schools,” mentioned Burns. “We need to start teaching the youth in our communities to be proud of themselves, to start learning that they are strong, resilient people.
“We have to start teaching our people how to be parents again, how to love one another, how to love themselves. For me, that is the greatest loss we have suffered over the generations.”
An inquest by the Saskatchewan Coroner’s Service was launched into the 11 deaths at James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, in addition to a separate inquest into the demise of Myles Sanderson, however these outcomes received’t be introduced ahead till January 2024.
Burns mentioned they should put together for the inquest outcomes to shake the group as soon as once more.
“The thing I’m afraid of is if the information comes out, and it’s not handled in a good way and we are not prepared for that day, it could divide our community even more.”
He mentioned he already has the entire solutions he needs to course of.
— with recordsdata from Global News’ Brody Langager
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
