An attempted bank robbery turned into an exchange of gunfire on Shelbourne Street on Tuesday afternoon. At least four blocks of Shelbourne Street have been closed to traffic.
Just before 11:30 a.m., the Saanich police station posted on Twitter about a “police incident” at 3600 Shelbourne Street, urging people to avoid the area. By noon, Saanich police had confirmed that they had responded to a report of “armed suspects” at a bank and that “many people [were] wounded “after an exchange of gunfire. The video has since confirmed that the bank is the BMO on the corner of Elm Street and Shelbourne Street. Shortly afterwards, police began evacuating nearby homes and businesses near the bank “due to the presence of a possible explosive device”. There is unconfirmed information that six police officers have been shot and that one police officer is fighting for his life. James MacDonald / Capital Daily Saanich police say two suspects are in custody – although police and paramedic sources say two suspects are dead – and police are investigating the area for a third suspect. They asked the public not to mention the locations or activities of the officers during the search. Police also asked nearby residents to take refuge in the area. Jackson Grasky was leaving Oregano’s Pizza, across from the bank, with Brody Pepper when someone approached them and told them that the bank was being held down. They noticed officers gathered opposite, heavily armed and with a dog. “Suddenly we saw K9 units, ERT units, all running towards the bank – that was when we took out our cameras,” Grasky said. Grasky’s dramatic video, which shows police running down the street and shooting with guns, has been released around the world after the robbery. Photographer James MacDonald, referring to the Capital Daily, noted the presence of more than a dozen police vehicles in the area, marked with RCMP and Saanich Police stickers. Blood dripped from a white Sprinter van next to the bank. The mobile service in the area may have been encrypted, with calls and data not coming. James MacDonald / Capital Daily Christopher Lee Ford lives in the area. “My wife worked from home,” he told the Capital Daily. “My daughter did some homework at the table trying to do some math in the summer. And suddenly we heard gunshots… At first I thought they were fireworks, so I ran to the window and looked outside. And it was just a hail of bullets passing through everywhere, and the police had locked the whole place. “I took my wife and daughter under the table in the dining room in the farthest corner of the house from where the shooting took place.” He watched the officers flock to the area. “The SWAT team showed up, the tactical team showed up. They had an M4 [carbine rifles]. “It was a good fight lasting five to 10 minutes,” he said. “I saw two policemen being shot.” Dr. Cam Brar was working at the Lifeline Animal Clinic under the BMO when the shootings began. The clinic’s front windows face Shelbourne and the intersection of Pear Street. He told the Capital Daily that when the shooting started, about “five or six” passers-by came in and took refuge. The staff closed the blinds, locked the doors and brought people to the back of the clinic. “We did not know what was happening,” he said. Brar says they waited at about 2.30pm before being able to leave the perimeter of the police station. As they were leaving, “a bunch of police officers passed by us with weapons,” he told the Capital Daily. The BMO is located across from Shelbourne Plaza between Pear Street and Cedar Hill Cross Road. Calls to neighboring businesses on Tuesday afternoon were not answered. James MacDonald / Capital Daily

Royal Jubilee Hospital and Victoria General Hospital receive the injured

A nurse, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said six police officers had been injured and that one of them was being treated in critical condition. He said the shooting had an impact on paramedics rushing to the scene. “Our superiors are asking for extra nurses to come,” he said, after six nurses went on leave due to additional stress. His understanding is that no civilians were seriously injured. In a statement to the Capital Daily, BC Emergency Health Services said five people were taken to hospital after paramedics responded to the incident at 11:21 a.m. “BCEHS crews are on standby,” they said. Around 11:20 a.m. today, an announcement at the Royal Jubilee Hospital declared the “highest access restriction” for the ER. 15 minutes later, they called “all the porters in the ER”. They cleared the restricted access around 11:50 a.m.
James MacDonald / Capital Daily “In order to ensure the safety of all involved, the Royal Jubilee Hospital emergency department has been briefly restricted to limited access,” an Island Health spokesman told the Capital Daily. “In any emergency, staff are redeployed as needed to ensure that our hospitals are in the best position to respond.” The health authority declined to comment on the nature and severity of the injuries to people after they were hospitalized. Stay connected to your city with the Capital Daily newsletter. By filling out the form above, you agree to receive emails from Capital Daily. You can unsubscribe at any time. Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes wrote on Twitter: “Our hearts are with the officers, the bank staff and our residents; there are no words to describe how horrible this is.” UVic issued an emergency alert to staff and students at 2:10 p.m., while Camosun College closed Lansdowne campus. Saanich police have set up a digital evidence collection portal and are asking anyone with photos or videos of Tuesday’s events to share what they have.

Branch robbed four months ago

The same BMO branch was robbed in February when a man dressed in black gave a cashier a note asking for money. The suspect was never found. . This file will be updated as soon as more information becomes available. -With files by Martin Bauman, Brishti Basu, Ryan Hook, Jimmy Thomson, Tori Marlan, Jolene Rudisuela and Hanna Hett Stay connected to everything that happens in Greater Victoria with the free Capital Daily newsletter, which is read every morning by more than 55,000 locals Stay connected to your city with the Capital Daily newsletter. By filling out the form above, you agree to receive emails from Capital Daily. You can unsubscribe at any time.