2 Suspects Killed, 6 Officers Injured In Saanich Bank Robbery

Six police officers are in hospital with gunshot wounds and two suspects have been killed following a shooting at a bank in Saanich on Tuesday.

Six police officers are in hospital with gunshot wounds and two suspects have been killed following a shooting at a bank in Saanich on Tuesday.

Multiple officers from Saanich Police, Victoria Police, and the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team responded to the report of armed suspects at a bank around 11 a.m.

When officers arrived, the two armed suspects began firing at police, according to a joint statement from the Saanich and Victoria police departments.

"Two suspects were shot by police and died at the scene," said police.

No members of the public, including bank employees or customers, are believed to have been injured in the incident, according to the joint statement.

Three of the six officers who were shot are members of the Saanich Police Department, while the other three are members of the Victoria Police Department.

Saanich Police Chief Const. Dean Duthie said they anticipate that some officers will be released following emergency treatment, whereas other officers sustained very serious injuries and have been taken into surgery.

At approximately 1:30 p.m. police asked residents in the area to shelter at home as officers searched for a potential third suspect, and examined a potential explosive device inside a car linked to one of the suspects.

At around 6 p.m. police lifted the shelter-in-place order and said there was no further indication that a third suspect was involved in the incident.

The area remained closed to traffic early Tuesday evening, however, as a team from the B.C. mainland assessed the potential explosive.

Saanich's police chief says Tuesday's daylight shooting was the most violent incident he can recall occurring in the community in his nearly 27 years of service.

Duthie said the Saanich Police Department and its law enforcement partners in neighbouring jurisdictions are still ready to respond to any other calls for service, and that the organization is looking to support everyone who was involved.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. has been notified of the incident and has opened its own investigation.

The police watchdog group is called whenever an incident involving police results in serious injury or death, regardless of if there have been any allegations of wrongdoing.