The result of the pit maneuver to arrest Myles Sanderson. (Submitted photo/Danny Kid CKBI)

By Susan McNeil

Myles Sanderson inquest

RCMP cleared of wrongdoing in Myles Sanderson overdose death

Feb 27, 2024 | 12:21 PM

Evidence heard at the second day of the coroner’s inquest into the death of Myles Sanderson showed the man who killed 11 people and injured 17 others likely died by his own hand.

Video evidence taken from RCMP dash cams and body cameras shows Sanderson being pulled from a stolen Chevrolet Avalanche, being placed under arrest and then telling officers he ingested meth.

The purpose of the inquest into Sanderson’s death is not to determine fault but the facts on the manner and cause of the person’s death, in this case, in police custody. A jury will then classify the death and provide recommendations on how to prevent future deaths in similar circumstances.

Detective Sgt. Ken Kane of the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) testified on day two of the inquest. The police service took carriage of the investigation due to Sanderson being in RCMP custody when he died.

“There is no indication that the actions of the RCMP officers involved contributed to the death of Myles Sanderson,” he said.

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There was no physical damage to Sanderson’s body, the post mortem examination showed. Bodily fluids and his brain were sent for further testing to separate labs.

As much as possible, the SPS used its own resources to conduct the investigation to maintain a distance from RCMP services, Kane said.

When RCMP officers first observed Sanderson behind the wheel of the stopped vehicle, he had a rolled up $20 bill and was repeatedly moving his hand from the seat to his face.

Officers also found a bag of white powder and, while Sanderson said he took meth, testing of the product revealed the powder was cocaine.

In his final words before going into cardiac arrest and dying, Sanderson asked officers multiple times “Why didn’t you shoot me? You guys should have f—ing shot me.”

“Holy f—, I’m ready to die now,” he can be heard on the audio of the body cam worn by RCMP Const. Adema.

He goes on to ask multiple times “how many bodies did I get?” a questioned he never learned the answer to before he died.

In the video, Sanderson appears to lose his balance and begin bleeding from the nose before he was placed on the ground next to a parked RCMP vehicle.

Officers administered Naloxone, which is normally given for suspected fentanyl overdoses but is the only tool they are equipped with, Kane explained.

Sanderson received two doses of the medication used to reverse opioid effects. One of the RCMP officers who worked previously as an EMT began chess compressions. Shortly afterwards, two paramedics attached to the Ottawa National Response Team arrived on scene with medical kits. Compressions continued until Sanderson was placed on a spine board and taken by Rosthern paramedics to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.

He was pronounced dead within minutes of arriving.

The inquest also heard more details about the driving ‘pit maneuvre’ used by Const. Heidi Marshall to stop Sanderson’s flight on Highway 11 near Rosthern.

Kane said the maneuvre was a highly dangerous action, both to Sanderson and to Marshall, who was not formally trained on how to do it.

Dash cam footage showed Marshall’s maneuvre being done from the view of the other chase vehicles. The goal is to have the chase vehicle very lightly touch the suspect vehicle, which then turns into a push. The push causes the suspect vehicle to lose control while the chase vehicle does not.

“If you do it correctly, this is the outcome,” Kane said. “This was done correctly and the result is very minimal damage (to the vehicle).

When police are trained in the maneuvre, they do so at 80 km/hour. Marshall did it while pursuing Sanderson at 139 km/hour.

“It causes a controlled rotation of the vehicle,” Kane explained. Any drastic or sudden contact at that speed would have caused both vehicles to respond violently and roll.

“This was the best possible outcome,” Kane said. “I am impressed with the control that was exercised in the pit maneuvre. It’s frankly quite unbelievable.”

Marshall waited until there was no oncoming traffic and Sanderson was in the correct lane before making contact. She then had to exit the maneuvre safely.

During the 10 km chase, Sanderson was driving the wrong way into oncoming traffic for much of it.

Given his speeds that reached 150 km/h, and with oncoming traffic likely driving 120 to 125 km/h, other drivers had about 10 seconds to avoid a head on collision with the Avalanche.

Some of the vehicles missed colliding by mere inches, Kane said. Other drivers took to the ditch.

The only weapon recovered from the vehicle was a knife. No evidence has been detailed yet on this particular knife, although Sanderson used a knife during his attacks on the James Smith Cree Nation.

The inquest continues on Tuesday and is expected to last the rest of the week, with jury deliberations set for Friday morning.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com