On Thursday afternoon, they gave an update with a few more details, confirming when the first call came to 911 and the make of the suspects’ vehicle. Two gunmen were killed and six police officers from the Greater Victoria Emergency Team (GVERT) were injured during an exchange of gunfire outside the bank on Tuesday. Explosives were found in a nearby vehicle associated with the suspects and an RCMP explosive ordnance disposal unit brought from Vancouver was able to safely destroy them at a local landfill on Wednesday. The Vancouver Island Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) is in charge of the investigation, and the Office of Independent Investigations – the oversight body that investigates all police actions leading to death or serious injury – is also investigating what happened. On Thursday night, both Victoria and Saanich police departments investigated two men in camouflage described as “suspects” and “possibly carrying firearms”, but there is currently no information to support a link to the Bank of Montreal incident, police said. .
Where and how did the incident start?
According to the leader Saanich Const. Dean Duthie, the first call to 911 came at 11:02 a.m. on Tuesday 28 June. Minutes later, GVERT officers and members of the Victoria and Saanich police stations responded to reports that two armed men had entered a bank on the 3600-block on Shelbourne Street in Saanich, BC. Videos recorded by passers-by show police running towards the building, with guns pulled, some hiding behind vehicles and bushes as shots are heard. Several witnesses at the shelter said they saw and heard dozens of shots fired in succession as the suspects exchanged fire with police. A police officer is watching when two gunmen who entered a bank were killed in an exchange of gunfire with police in Saanich on Tuesday. (Kevin Light / REUTERS) Police said the shootings started outside the bank, although it was not immediately clear who fired first. The bank is located in a predominantly residential neighborhood of Saanich, about a mile west of the University of Victoria campus on south Vancouver Island. Chief Duthie said a GVERT team happened to be in the area on Tuesday “in a completely separate and irrelevant investigation” and was able to re-deploy immediately to the bank.
What do we know about the suspects?
On Thursday afternoon, RCMP Cpl. Alex Bérubé said police are still working with the BC Medical Examiner’s Office to positively identify the two male suspects. “Once completed, our first priority will be to talk to our closest relatives,” he said. “And we will go on to find out more about them τους their background, who they are, their stories and how this may relate to what happened. Bérubé said the suspects were believed to be driving a white, four-door 1992 Toyota Camry with two black racing stripes over the hood and roof. Anyone who saw a car that matched this description in the week before the incident should contact the police. A police car identified as a 1992 white four-door Toyota Camry with black racing stripes over the hood and roof appears in Saanich, BC on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Police say the car was related to the suspects and ask public advice. (CBC News) Police said the suspects were armed and believed to be wearing armor – a detail that was confirmed by several witnesses. Shelli Fryer was one of 22 people inside the bank that day. She told CBC that it was her first visit to the branch and was meeting with a branch manager in his office when she calmly told her that the bank was being robbed. “And I look up and at the door there is a guy standing there with a gun,” he said. “[Wearing a] balaclava, vest, some protection on his feet “.
A witness to a BC bank robbery describes a surreal experience
Shelli Fryer was in Saanich, BC, Bank of Montreal for an appointment when armed robbers arrived on June 28. Fryer said the man she saw at the door asked the manager to bring them to the bank vault and then heard the suspects whispering to each other as they walked down the aisle. “They were expecting something. Walking quietly, like a walk in the countryside,” he said. Fryer said she was left alone for five to 10 minutes in the office. At that time she took out her cell phone and called 911. “Why did they wait, what did they do? she wondered. “They could have taken the money and left.”
What do we know about the injured police officers?
Six police officers were injured during an exchange of fire between two suspects and several police officers. Three officers are now back home with their families. None of the officers has been made public. According to the Saanich Police Department, the other three officers were seriously injured – one is still in the ICU – and will need additional surgery and treatment in the coming months. All of the injured officers belong to GVERT, but three of them work for the Victoria Police Department and the other three work for the Saanich Police Department. Chief Duthie said other officers did an “excellent job” caring for their injured colleagues at the scene. He credits them with saving the lives of at least three officers.
Is there a third suspect?
On Tuesday, police sent a shelter alert for several blocks on either side of the bank, saying they were looking for a possible third person involved in the robbery. The opinion was withdrawn at 6 pm on Tuesday. Shelli Fryer said she saw three suspects inside the bank. Police said they have no information leading them to believe there is danger to the public, but have not yet ruled out a third suspect. Saanich Police are escorted by Victoria Police and the RCMP as they respond to shootings involving several people at the Bank of Montreal in Saanich. (Cad Hipolito / The Canadian Press)
What about explosives?
Beroube said an RCMP explosive ordnance disposal unit had dealt with the extremely volatile and dangerous situation and that a number of firearms had been found at the scene. He said many “improvised explosive devices” were found inside the Toyota Camry believed to be linked to the suspects. The bombs were tested by the RCMP team, placed in safe containers and then transported to the Saanich landfill for disposal.
When will we learn more?
The Saanich Police Department and the RCMP are expected to provide further updates in the coming days. Police say they can only share information with the public if they are absolutely certain that it will not jeopardize ongoing investigations or contaminate the memories of witnesses yet to be questioned.
