Court records show man who killed his sister on Hollow Water First Nation was out on bail

As a First Nations community in Saskatchewan reflected on its Sept. 4, 2022 tragedy, another was trying to come to grips with its own. A man who was out on bail on other charges, according to court documents, went on a rampage at a Manitoba First Nation in the early morning hours Thursday. Court records show 26-year-old Tyrone Simard was charged with assault with a weapon and mischief for alleged offences that happened June 8. The records also show a Winnipeg court granted his release June 12 with various conditions, including a curfew and an order to not use drugs or alcohol or possess weapons. Court records show Simard was charged with assault with a weapon and mischief for alleged offences that happened June 8. He was also facing charges of sexual assault, sexual interference, and invitation to sexual touching from alleged incidents in 2017. He was also ordered not to contact four people. Simard was asked whether he understood the conditions. “Yes,” he told the court. Hollow Water was left reeling with the news that one of its own had killed his 18-year-old sister and wounded several others in the mass stabbing. In an update today, Shared Health said four patients remain hospitalized at Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. Two required operations and are recovering in stable condition. Three patients were able to be discharged Thursday. Police are continuing to investigate the violence that shook the community of about 1,000 people on the east shore of Lake Winnipeg. According to the RCMP, it started around 3:45 a.m. Thursday. Officers from multiple detachments responded to a call and found several victims with stab wounds in a home and were alerted to another home where they located more victims. RCMP said Simard then fled in a stolen vehicle and crashed with an officer as she was responding to the attack. Simard died in the crash and the officer was taken to hospital with critical injuries but is expected to recover. The attack happened exactly three years 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. James Smith has been preparing for its annual pow wow but took time to send a message to Hollow Water Thursday. “As we hold our loved ones in memory, we also extend our heartfelt prayers and condolences to the Hollow Water First Nation,” the statement from James Smith said. “We know the weight of loss, and we stand with them in solidarity during their time of grief. From our Nation to theirs, we send strength, compassion, and the reminder that they are not alone. We walk together in spirit.” James Smith said the events of that morning in 2022 changed them forever. “Though September 4th is a day of pain, it is also a day of love, remembrance, and unity. May we continue to honor those we have lost by living in a way that reflects their teachings, their laughter, and their spirit,” it said. The tragedy at Hollow Water also coincided with the second day of the Assembly of First Nations general assembly taking place in Winnipeg. At a news conference at RCMP headquarters in Winnipeg, Premier Wab Kinew pledge support for the community. “To the leadership and to the community members of Hollow Water, our hearts are with you. Our hearts feel very heavy, and we will be there to support you in the ways that are necessary.” “I ask the community to pray and support one another out there. And my prayers go to the people that are in the hospital right now recovering,” said Hollow Water First Nation Chief Larry Barker. The federal ministers of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Services Canada said they were “heartbroken by the news,” and they were “standing with Hollow Water.” Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan also said she was “devastated to hear news of the tragedy that took place in the Hollow Water First Nation (Thursday), something which no community should have to go through.” The wounded remain in hospital – several at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre where they were taken by ground and air ambulance. Their conditions were not known Friday. With files from The Canadian Press Continue Reading