The half-brother of mass murderer Myles Sanderson has been arrested near James Smith Cree Nation after seriously assaulting a female and “uttering threats” directed at the community, police say.
It comes almost one year after Myles Sanderson’s rampage, which left 11 dead and 17 injured in the area, as well as the nearby community of Weldon.
In a statement, Melfort RCMP said they received a report of an assault and someone uttering threats on the Saskatchewan First Nation on August 8, shortly before 11 pm. A woman reported sustaining serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the attack. However, she did not require medical attention.
RCMP responded from Tisdale, Melfort and Prince Albert detachments to search for an adult male. About one hour later, Prince Albert RCMP located the male inside a vehicle, one kilometre west of Muskoday, near Prince Albert. The male was arrested and transported to hospital in Melfort for medical treatment, unrelated to the arrest, RCMP said.
He was cleared for incarceration shortly afterward and held until his first court appearance the next morning.
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The man was identified as 35-year-old Kelly Shane Burns of James Smith Cree Nation.
Burns is half-brother to Myles and Damien Sanderson, sources close to the family confirmed to Global News.
Damien was initially implicated in the September 4 stabbings on James Smith Cree Nation along with Myles, but RCMP later confirmed Damien was killed by his brother and did not participate in any of the murders. Myles died after being taken into police custody.
James Smith Cree Nation Chief Wally Burns said he received a call from security that Kelly Burns was writing threats aimed at the community on Facebook. He said Burns currently lives in Prince Albert.
Burns’ sister called James Smith security to alert them of his intention to come to James Smith, Chief Burns said. So, security guards were “waiting for him”. He does not know if Burns was sighted on James Smith Cree Nation or where exactly the assault occurred. Saskatchewan RCMP have not responded to Global News’ request for clarification.
Burns was charged with assault and failure to comply with an appearance notice. He made his first court appearance on August 9, 2023, via phone in Nipawin and was remanded until August 15.
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