A police film surrounded the area around Montreal Bank branch on Selburn Street on Wednesday as police were quietly combing the area. An abandoned white police van sat in the parking lot, with its doors still open from the previous day. Police are expected to report Wednesday afternoon. Two suspects were killed and six members of the Greater Victoria Emergency Team were injured when gunfire erupted outside the bank late Tuesday morning. Witnesses described hearing dozens of back-to-back shots shortly after 11 a.m. Police said the shootings started outside the bank, although it was not immediately clear who fired first. The suspects were armed and believed to be wearing armor. CLOCKS Police exchange fire with suspects outside Saanich Bank, BC
2 suspects dead, 6 policemen injured in exchange of gunfire at BC bank
Police say two suspects are dead and six members of the Greater Victoria emergency team are in hospital after an exchange of gunfire at a bank in Saanich, BC. Three of the injured are members of the Saanich Police Department and three are members of the Victoria Police Department. Three were expected to be released after being hospitalized, while Duthie said three needed surgery for “much more serious” injuries. Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes said officials were not going to provide public information about the officers’ condition. “We are not ready to publish any of this … we hope to have more news for you later,” Haynes said in an interview early Wednesday. Sanic police said he was “overwhelmed” by messages of support. “Your kind words go a long way in difficult times like these and we share your comments with our officers,” a tweet read Wednesday. The police station is expected to give a briefing at a press conference at 3:30 p.m. PT. The urban square around the bank remains closed, as do the businesses in the mall opposite. CLOCKS Daily robbery and shootings with 2 dead and 6 policemen injured:
Police and suspects exchange multiple shots into deadly shots at BC bank
Two suspects killed, six police officers injured in bank shooting in Saanich, BC The bank is located in a predominantly residential neighborhood of Saanich, about a mile west of the University of Victoria campus. The shootings began as the square was full of people doing business in nearby shops or stopping at restaurants for lunch. Saanich Chief Const. Dean Duthie described the scene on Tuesday as “chaotic, tragic, dynamic and violent” and said it was “really amazing” that bank employees and members of the public were not injured. “This level of violence in my service with Sanic, having been shy for just 27 years, is nothing like this in my experience,” Duthy told a news conference. Homes and businesses were evacuated overnight as the RCMP Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit investigated the possibility of an explosive device in the vehicle believed to be used by the suspects. People living in houses across the bank said they did not immediately recognize the sound of gunshots as gunshots. When they looked out of their windows or over their balconies, they realized the seriousness of the situation and rushed inside again. “You heard people screaming and then screaming at people to come back in,” said Christopher Ford, whose wife and daughter rushed to hide under a table in the back of the house. “It was one of the scariest experiences of my family.” Sanic police asked anyone with a video of the incident to submit the video through her proof portal.
