A Manitoba man accused of killing his sister and injuring several others in a Sept. 4 mass stabbing incident on Hollow Water First Nation was out on bail, police say.
Court records show the suspect, 26-year-old Tyrone Simard, had been out on bail for charges of assault with a weapon and mischief related to an incident that occurred on June 8. He was granted release on June 12 on several conditions, including a curfew and order not to use drugs, alcohol, or possess weapons. He was also ordered not to contact four people.
Simard also faced charges of sexual assault, sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching from alleged incidents in 2017. Records also show Simard pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and mischief in connection with offences in 2017.
The RCMP received a report of an assault at the Hollow Water First Nation just before 4 a.m. on Sept. 4. The community is located approximately 200 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.
RCMP say Simard stabbed eight people on the First Nation. The ages of the victims ranged from 18 to 60.
Simard’s 18-year-old sister died following the stabbing and the others remain in hospital.
When officers first arrived at the scene, they found “a number of people” with serious injuries, RCMP Supt. Rob Lawson told the media during a Sept. 4 news conference. Police were alerted to a second scene where “even more additional victims” were located, Lawson said.
Simard was killed when the stolen vehicle he used to flee the scene crashed with an RCMP cruiser. The officer, who had been on her way to the attack scene, was injured and is recovering in hospital.
Assistant Commissioner Scott McMurchy said the officer had “put her life at risk for the safety and security of Manitobans.”
The incident comes exactly three years after the mass-stabbing tragedy in Saskatchewan, when Myles Sanderson killed 11 people and injured 17 others on James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon, northeast of Saskatoon, on Sept 4, 2022. Sanderson later died in police custody. Police said they believe the shared date is a coincidence.
Hollow Water First Nation Chief Larry Barker told a Sept. 4 news conference he has asked the community to “pray and support one another.”
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called the incident tragic. “Our hearts feel very heavy, and we will be there to support you in the ways that are necessary,” he said during the news conference. “To Hollow Water, our hearts are with you.”
The Canadian Press contributed to this article.
