SAANICH SHOOTOUT

Suspects dead, officers hurt

Two suspects are dead and six police officers suffered gunshot wounds in a shootout at the Bank of Montreal on Shelbourne Street on Tuesday morning.

Late Tuesday afternoon, police continued to advise anyone in the area of North Dairy to Cedar Hill Cross roads and Richmond to Cedar Hill roads to stay indoors as officers looked for a potential third suspect.

Homes and businesses near the bank were evacuated due to the presence of a potential explosive device in a vehicle associated with the suspects, police said. Just before 6 p.m., Saanich police lifted the shelter-in-place order, saying they hadn't uncovered further indication of a potential third suspect.

It began at 11 a.m. on Tuesday when officers with the Saanich police, the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team and VicPD responded to a report that two armed men had entered the bank in the 3600 block of Shelbourne Street.

Several officers responded to the scene and encountered the armed suspects, who fired at police. Two suspects were shot by police and died at the scene.

Six emergency response team officers suffered gunshot wounds and were transported to hospital, some with serious injuries requiring surgery, a Victoria police statement said. Three of the injured officers are members of the Saanich police, while the other three are VicPD members.

Police said they don't believe any bank employees, customers or members of the public were injured in the exchange of gunfire.

A man with dark hair in a camouflage jacket and black boots was seen lying motionless in the parking lot outside the bank Tuesday afternoon.

Residents and workers in the area were hunkered down in their homes and offices with blinds down and doors locked while the hunt for a potential third suspect continued.

Just after 12:30 p.m., about 25 people who had been in the bank during the robbery were escorted by armed Saanich officers to a waiting bus. Some were crying. Dozens of officers from the Saanich and Victoria police departments and the RCMP remained outside the bank early Tuesday afternoon, along with at least four ambulances.

Shelbourne Street was blocked from Cedar Hill Road past Pear Street, with several marked and unmarked police vehicles filling the street.

Officers with weapons and dog teams were outside the bank.

The public was asked to avoid the area.

A helicopter was flying over the area at about 1:40 p.m.

Charlotte Priest, an assistant at Lifeline Animal Clinic across Shelbourne Street from the bank, said a few of the clinic's clients heard the shooting and took shelter in the building.

“That's when we realized there's something going on. So we just closed our blinds and just took cover and are staying away from the windows.”

A passerby also took shelter in the waiting area, said Priest, noting a police van was parked at the clinic's driveway.

“There's a lot of businesses in the area. It is kind of shocking for it to happen here. Everybody is a little bit shaken up.”

Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes posted on Twitter: “Our hearts go out to our officers, bank staff and residents … No words can describe how horrendous this is.”

At nearby St. Michael's University School, a woman said the school was in “hold-and-secure” mode, with all external doors locked and everyone inside.

The Megson FitzPatrick Insurance Services office on Shelbourne Street had about 20 staff indoors behind locked exterior doors.