At mass stabbing inquest, families of slain James Smith residents grill RCMP

Family members of those slain in the brutal stabbing rampage in James Smith Cree Nation brought their questions to the man who once led the Melfort RCMP on Thursday morning.

On Sept. 4, 2022, Myles Sanderson killed 11 people and injured 17 others within the span of several hours in the communities of James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, triggering a three-day manhunt that ended with Sanderson dying in police custody.

Over the last four days of testimony in the coroner's inquest into the deaths, relatives of several victims have grilled police officers who were on the ground that day, asking them to account for their decisions.

The questions have tapped in to a well of emotions in the otherwise staid and formal police testimony.

Deborah Burns, whose father Earl Burns was found dead in the community school bus after an attack at his home, asked why police reported passing the bus several times before checking the scene.

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RCMP have said Earl drove off in pursuit of Myles after he and a woman were attacked in their home on North Road. When police searched the bus, it was backed into the ditch and still running.

“The bus was been passed four times by police officers. My mom remembers calling in and noting the bus at 6:20 a.m.,” said Deborah Burns. Why didn’t they check?

Simons’ voice was tight; he appeared overcome with emotion.

“I personally passed the bus twice,” he said.

“I am a daughter of Earl Burns,” Deborah said.

“I can't imagine your loss. But, just know this one's tough on me personally, and I apologize that your father did not get my attention earlier,” he said.

Simons said he knew Earl Burns was a fellow Canadian Forces veteran.

“As far as I’m concerned, every member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is my family. Every veteran of the Canadian Army is family. So this one's tough for me,” he said.

Earlier in his testimony, he described stopping a vehicle on the morning of Sept. 4 and disarming the driver, who told him they were hunting down Myles Sanderson.

“I believe in connections. Everything is connected. The individual that I took the shotgun off was the son of the bus driver. The house I cleared was the residence of the bus driver … I never imagined I would find what I found when I opened that bus door.”