“This was the worst thing I’ve seen in my career,” former Melfort staff sergeant says

 By Ryan Kiedrowski Local Journalism Initiative Reporter An inquest into the deaths of 11 people on the James Smith Cree Nation over the Sept. 2022 long weekend heard from the detachment commander in charge during the mass stabbing event. When asked by Coroner Counsel Timothy Hawryluk how he was feeling this morning, former S/Sgt. Darren Lee Simons replied “anxious.” Simons, who came to the Melfort Detachment six weeks before the tragedy happened, detailed his extensive experience working near **>First Nations<** communities in each detachment he was posted, including the community of Gleichen, AB and the nearby Siksika First Nation, who temporarily had their own police service. The retired RCMP member also recounted his involvement responding to the unfolding tragedy on JSCN. Simons was at his home that morning when the…

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