RCMP have identified twin brothers as the gunmen killed during an armed robbery and shootout at a Saanich bank on Tuesday. They are 22-year-old Issac Auchterlonie and Mathew Auchterlonie from Duncan. Posts from a now-deleted Instagram account associated with the name Issac Auchterlonie show photos of firearms and what appear to be wartime images. Account bio includes: Canadian, Patriot, WWII War Enthusiast, Nature and Firearms. Their family has been notified, RCMP spokesman Alex Bérubé said at a news conference Saturday. “We understand that releasing the names of the two dead may answer who, but there are still many outstanding questions and investigations that need to be done in order to fully understand what happened and why,” Berube said. “The motive behind the armed robbery and subsequent shootout with police has yet to be determined.” Police have determined that only two suspects were in the bank, Bérubé said, but “we continue to look into whether anyone else is involved or related to the events of Tuesday.” The two men went to Frances Kelsey Secondary School in Mill Bay, her former classmate Courtney Dougan confirmed. He described the brothers as quiet and reserved. “All I know is they were very quiet and kept to themselves,” he said. “He was always at the back of the class. [They] He never said much.” Duggan said the news was still a shock to the city. “It’s a very tight-knit community around here. It hits hard,” he said. “They were nice kids even though they were very quiet.” Neither brother was known to police or had a criminal record, RCMP said. Police have linked them to a white 1992 Toyota Camry four-door with black racing stripes. Berube appealed to anyone with information about the pair to come forward. “We believe there may be people out there who may have more information about the brothers, their recent activities and their travels and we need those people to come forward and speak to police,” he said. Mill Bay local Tamara Brennan said most people are somehow connected to each other in the town of about 7,000. “It’s a very peaceful place to live. Everybody knows everybody,” he said. “The fact that we never really got to know them, I mean they must have really kept it to themselves.” The two men were killed Tuesday morning during what Saanich Police Chief Dean Duthie called a “volatile, dangerous and deadly” shootout with officers outside the BMO bank at Shelbourne and Pear streets. Six police officers from the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team were injured during the shootout. Police have not released updates on their condition. Investigators found explosives in a vehicle at the scene. The RCMP bomb disposal unit removed and destroyed the explosives early Wednesday afternoon. The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit, an integrated unit made up of RCMP officers and police from Central Saanich, Oak Bay, Victoria and Saanich, is leading the investigation.
Reporter Nina Grossman writes about the two suspects killed in the BMO bank robbery and shooting in Saanich. If you have information to share, email her at [email protected]
