Pictures of deceased victims (Ben Tompkins/northeastNOW)

By Ben Tompkins

Darryl Burns

Victim’s family react to preliminary timeline from Saskatchewan RCMP

Apr 27, 2023 | 5:33 PM

On Thursday morning Saskatchewan RCMP presented its preliminary timeline of the stabbings at James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon last fall.

Police went through a full walkthrough of the moments leading up to the mass stabbings and the events that followed.

Family members of the victims were in attendance and spoke to northeastNOW following the demonstration.

Darryl Burns, brother of Lydia Gloria Burns, one of the deceased, shared his thoughts and feelings surrounding the day.

“I’m doing as well as I can be, I guess I’m trying to make sense of it all,” he said.

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All family members received the preliminary timeline prior to the official presentation.

Darryl Burns in Melfort with a photo of his sister, Lydia Gloria Burns, in hand (Ben Tompkins/northeastNOW)

Burns added that one of the things on his mind before he heard everything was the fact that Myles Sanderson had time to come back and kill his sister, who was treating one of the other victims.

“There was a lot of time that passed there, but since hearing this, I realized how much chaos and confusion and terror was happening that morning,” he said. “He had a lot of different vehicles that he used, so how could anyone know where he was going and what he was going to do? The only one that knew is deceased now, so there are questions that we’re probably never going to get the answers to.”

Darryl and his sister were both members of the Nation’s Crisis Response Team, which lead Lydia Gloria to the scene.

Darryl explained that she was the type of person to do these selfless acts and hopes that her death can be a teaching moment.

“The only thing that we can hope from this and my sister’s death is that we can learn something and have something to carry on,” he said. “I hope my sister’s death hasn’t just been meaningless, I want her death to have some sort of teaching,” he added.

“Her behaviour that day doesn’t surprise me at all. She would do anything for her friends and she was a very strong woman. She had a lot of respect from people around her. For her to go to her friend’s aid and put herself in danger, that was natural for her, that’s just the way she was.”

James Smith Cree Nation also responded to the details of the presentation and mentioned that they are hoping for change. This includes trying to develop their own police force.

“It’s time we start looking at the real truth of our own actions. The events in September of last year turned our lives upside down. At the time of the tragedy, I felt responsible. I examined my own actions along with many other community members, as we were traumatized by the tragedy and looked to see if we, in some way, could have stopped it,” said Chief Wally Burns.

“The true answer to overcoming these barriers to safety and protection is self-administered policing on our First Nation. I will keep echoing this truth until we have access to proper policing supports in place that fit the needs of our community,” he added.

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan Coroners Service Chief Coroner, Clive Weighill was also in Melfort Thursday.

Weighill was unable to provide most additional details, as they could potentially interfere with the upcoming Coroner’s Inquest.

What he did provide, however, is the location and date of the said inquest, which will begin in Melfort on January 15, 2024.

The coroner’s office is hoping it will only take two weeks, however, have set aside an additional third week, just in case.

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