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A brother and sister are dead and several others injured, including a Mountie, after a mass stabbing Thursday on a small, tight-knit First Nation northeast of Winnipeg.
“I ask the community to pray and support one another,” Hollow Water First Nation Chief Larry Barker said at a news conference at RCMP regional headquarters in Winnipeg, his voice halting on occasion.
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Police said they were still piecing together what happened after the violence erupted early in the morning in the community of about 500 people on the east shore of Lake Winnipeg.
RCMP received a call around 3:45 a.m. about an assault, and emergency medical services responded. Two hours later, Mounties got word of a stabbing, said Supt. Rob Lasson.
Officers from multiple detachments responded to the First Nation located 200 kilometres from Winnipeg. Eight adults, ranging in ages up to 60, were found in two homes, severely injured with stab wounds, Lasson said.
He said the woman who died was 18. Her 26-year-old brother was the suspect in the stabbings and fled the community in a stolen vehicle.
On a highway south of the First Nation, Simard collided with a vehicle driven by an officer who was responding to the attack and heading north, Lasson said. The officer suffered critical injuries and was taken to hospital, but was expected to make a full recovery.
“She stopped a man on a rampage, so on behalf of the province of Manitoba I thank her,” said Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew.
The other victims, some in critical condition, were taken to hospital via helicopter and ground ambulance. The Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, the province’s largest hospital, declared a code orange — a move used when a sudden and large influx of patients is expected.
Speaking to reporters outside the hospital, Christy Williams said her father, Michael Raven, was one of the injured.
She said there had been a dispute with the suspect. Her father then went to bed and was sleeping when he was stabbed several times, she added.
Mounties said officers continued to investigate and were going from house to house in the community making sure there were no other victims.
The suspect was known to police, RCMP said, without going into detail.
Attack occured on third anniversary of JSCN mass stabbing
The attack happened three years to the day after a mass stabbing on the James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan and the nearby community of Weldon, which left 11 people dead and 17 injured.
The suspect in that attack, Myles Sanderson, had moved around the First Nation selling drugs, stealing vehicles, busting down doors and stabbing people while leaving others unharmed. He died of a cocaine overdose after being captured by police on a highway. His brother, Damien Sanderson, was among those killed.
RCMP said there was no evidence Thursday of any connection between the two mass attacks.
“There’s nothing to indicate that right now. That will be looked at for sure,” Lasson said.
Premier Scott Moe saddened by attack
In a social media post on X, Premier Scott Moe said he was troubled and saddened to hear of the attack in Manitoba.
“My thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims of this senseless attack,” he said.
I am troubled and saddened to hear of the attack this morning at Hollow Water First Nation in Manitoba, my thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims of this senseless attack.
The attack today, comes during a difficult time that affected people across our province -… pic.twitter.com/3ThenyW4v5
— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) September 4, 2025
He said the attack comes at a difficult time, lining up with the three-year anniversary of the mass stabbing on James Smith Cree Nation.
“So may we pause to honour the lives lost, stand with the families who continue to grieve, and reflect on the path of healing that continues for so many,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 4, 2025.
— With files from Aaron Sousa in Edmonton
