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2 police officers remain in hospital after Saanich, B.C., bank shooting

Two of the six officers who were injured in a shootout outside a bank in Saanich, B.C., nearly two weeks ago are still in hospital, but according to police their conditions are improving.

One officer was recently moved out of the ICU

The Canadian Press ·
A group of men, many in uniform, stand at the back of a large police SUV. The men are encircled by crime tape. A police bike and police cars are visible in the background.
Two Saanich police officers remain in hospital after an armed robbery at a bank in Saanich, B.C., on June 28. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press)

Two of the six officers who were injured in a shootout outside a bank in Saanich, B.C., nearly two weeks ago are still in hospital following surgery, but according to police, their conditions are improving.

The two officers are from the Saanich Police Department (SPD).

In a statement Monday, police said one of the officers who had been in the intensive care unit (ICU) since the June 28 shooting was recently moved out of the ICU. 

"Our officers, civilian staff, and volunteers are deeply inspired by the strength and determination of our two officers in hospital as they continue to make day-to-day improvements," said Saanich police Chief Dean Duthie.

Two young men sit in front of a wall hanging, with a guitar neck visible in the background. The man on the left is wearing a blue shirt and has a black watch. The man on the right is wearing a grey shirt and has a camo hat.
RCMP say Mathew, left, and Isaac Auchterlonie were the armed bank robbers killed in a shootout outside a Bank of Montreal in Saanich, B.C., on June 28. (Submitted by Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit)

Three Saanich officers and three from the Victoria Police Department (VPD), all members of the emergency response team, were injured in the gunfight with 22-year-old twin brothers, Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie, from Duncan, B.C., outside a Bank of Montreal.

One SPD officer and the three VPD officers are recovering at home.

Members of the public look through the doors of Saanich, B.C.'s police department on Thursday, June 30, 2022, where bouquets of flowers have been placed in support of wounded officers — two days after a bank robbery ended with six officers wounded, two suspects dead, and locals reeling from the traumatic events.
Members of the public look through the doors of Saanich, B.C.'s police department on Thursday, June 30, 2022, where bouquets of flowers were placed in support of wounded officers. (Susana da Silva/CBC)

The joint statement from the Saanich and Victoria police departments said officers and staff have been participating in debriefing sessions with both peer support and a psychologist.

"The Saanich Police Department continues to move forward along the road of recovery and healing, which is heavily fuelled by community and interagency care, support, trust and confidence," said Duthie.

It says affected officers are participating in workplace reintegration training, which includes exposure to firearms and acclimation to gunfire.

With files from CBC News

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