Two Métis men were found shot dead in rural Alberta after what police believe was an ambush

This article is more than 5 months old

This article is more than 5 months old

Police in Canada are investigating the murders of two Indigenous men who they suspect were ambushed after returning from a successful hunt in rural Alberta.

The bodies of Jake Sansom, 39, and his uncle Morris Cardinal, 57, were found early on 28 March beside Sansom’s pickup truck on a country road near Glendon, a farming town 160 miles north-east of Edmonton. Both had gunshot wounds.

Sansom, who recently lost his job as a heavy-machinery mechanic due to coronavirus-related layoffs, was out hunting with Cardinal to help provide food for family members.

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After successfully shooting a moose, which promised a bountiful supply of meat, the two took a selfie, smiling in the woods. Both men were Métis – a distinct group that traces lineage to both Indigenous nations and European settlers – and had permission to hunt the area out of season.

News of the murders has shocked friends and family.

“All the kids in the community loved him and everyone knew who he was, knew he had a heart of gold and would give the shirt off his back for anyone,” Sarah Sansom said of her husband in a statement. A volunteer firefighter, he left behind three young children.

“Firefighter Sansom was always willing to be involved in the dept, community, fundraisers, and continually showed his love for his family and fellow firefighters,” the Nobleford fire department said in a Facebook post.

Cardinal, a keen hunter and outdoorsman, had three stepchildren and five grandchildren.

“One day I was complaining about my feet being cold and the next morning he showed up with a nice warm pair of brand new socks for me! Took them straight from his stash of socks,” Anna Thompson, who previously worked with Cardinal, told the National Post.

The results of an autopsy conducted on the two men on Tuesday 31 March were not made public. The RCMP declined to provide information on the number or nature of gunshot wounds, citing a need to “preserve the integrity” of the investigation.

Police have said they believe the men were ambushed at a junction – but cautioned the investigation was in its preliminary stages. The RCMP said there was no evidence at this point that suggested the killings were racially motivated.

Police have appealed to anyone with dashboard or trail camera footage from the area to come forward.

“I just don’t get why somebody could murder two people for no reason like that,” Michel Sansom, Jake’s brother, told CBC News. “They didn’t rob them. The cops said nothing was missing. They pulled up just to kill them, just because. I just don’t understand that.”