Some Saskatchewan stabbing victims were killed helping others: RCMP

Residents put themselves at risk and in some cases paid with their lives for simply trying to protect others in their community, Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said.

Some of the people who died in the stabbing massacre on James Smith Cree Nation last month were killed because they were trying to help others, RCMP say.

Residents put themselves at risk and in some cases paid with their lives for simply trying to protect others in their community, Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore told The Canadian Press in a recent interview.

“I think of that saying `Not all heroes wear capes.’ I learned that some heroes wear moccasins because we saw that at James Smith. Protecting people just because that was the right thing to do,” Blackmore said.

“They didn’t think of their own safety. And they put themselves in harm’s way.”

RCMP have said Myles Sanderson killed 11 people on the First Nation and nearby village of Weldon on Sept. 4, including his own brother, Damien Sanderson. Eighteen other people were injured.

Herbert Burns’ sister, Gloria Lydia Burns, 61, was one of the victims who died while trying to help Bonnie Burns, 48, who called for help from her home.

“When (Gloria) got there and got too close, that’s when she saw the blood and the knives, and rather than run she tried to do the best she could to stop, but they turned on her,” Burns told The Canadian Press. She was an addictions counsellor and first responder.

“She liked doing what she was doing, and she truly believed the Creator would help, but the Creator said ‘no, you’re going beyond. You’re overstepping.’ You need to know when to help and when to step back. She gave her life. And that’s the choice she made.”