First Nation mourns three boys hit by vehicle in northern Manitoba

Three boys who were killed after being hit by a vehicle Saturday were inseparable, enjoyed riding their bikes and were loved by people throughout their northern Manitoba community.

Mateo Moore-Spence and Terrence Spence, both 11, and Keithan Lobster, who was 13, were walking and riding bikes when they were hit on a road near Nelson House about 850 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

“Everybody knew them. They were really close to my grandsons,” said Marcel Moody, chief of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation which includes Nelson House.

Moody said the boys were good kids who liked to have fun and often played at his home with his grandchildren.

When he told his grandson that his friends had died, Moody said the nine-year-old broke into tears and said, “I lost my best bros.”

“It’s really difficult for us to break the news to my grandchildren,” Moody said. “It’s just so devastating to hear them cry.”

Todd Norman Linklater, 27, is facing numerous charges including driving causing death and failing to remain at the scene of an accident. There is no way to make sense of such a horrible tragedy and it has touched everyone in the community, Moody said. Many people are related to the children, the driver or both.

“We have to start the healing process, the healing journey and hopefully we learn from what happened,” he said. “Hopefully people forgive each other and move on for the betterment of our nation.”

Classes were cancelled at the community’s schools on Monday morning as teachers came to terms with losing three students and prepared to connect others with grief counsellors in the afternoon. Staff from Otetiskewin Kiskinwamahtowekamik School, which has around 530 students, held a sharing circle.