The critical alert was issued at 10:35 am. CST. It said there was a gun homicide in the town, located about 137 kilometers northeast of Regina. The alert said police did not know where the two suspects were or where they were headed. Police believe the vehicle used by the suspects was found abandoned on Highway 10 near Duff, about 21 kilometers southwest of Melville, the alert said. Christine Carman said she woke up to the sound of the alarm Wednesday morning and was surprised to read that a homicide was suspected in the city. Her mind went to the mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020, where a man killed 22 people. Carman was living in Nova Scotia at the time and some of her friends had lost their parents. “That sticks in the back of your mind,” he said. “It’s a very real fear for someone like me who has experienced mass shootings in the past.” Carman, a supervisor at McDonald’s, posted on social media asking about the protocol for businesses open in the area during the alert, considering it has an open lobby and employee access through the drive-thru window. “My concern was how safe is it really going to be on the job?” he said. “That’s when your anxiety kicks in and that’s not a risk I want to take.” Carman said her manager gave her time off because of her concerns. Christine Carman moved to Melville, Sask., in September. He is concerned about the dangerous alert in the area, as he was in Nova Scotia during the mass shooting that left 22 people dead. (Submitted by Christine Carman) Almost two months ago, two rural communities in central Saskatchewan — the James Smith Cree Nation and nearby Weldon, Sask. — were on a dangerous person alert because of two suspects who had gone on a killing spree that left 11 people dead. The main suspect, Miles Sanderson, was at large for several days before he was arrested. He died shortly afterwards in police custody. Carman said Wednesday’s incident, where police aren’t sure where the suspects are, brought back some of the anxiety she felt during the incident. She worries about getting to work, her safety at home, and walking to her vehicle. “My doors are locked and I will not leave my house,” he said. The Good Spirit School Division, which operates 28 schools in the district, said both Melville Comprehensive School and Grayson School in nearby Grayson, Sask., had detention and safety protocols in place. This means that the outer doors of the schools are locked and monitored to allow only students to enter. Classes can resume as normal, but no one is allowed to leave the building without checking with the principal until the situation is resolved. The department said it is also recommending its other schools increase supervision and be extra diligent until further notice. Melville’s city manager said around 11 a.m. CST that the community was not in lockdown. RCMP advised people not to pick up hitchhikers and to be wary of people asking for a ride or suspicious people on their property.
