Suspects killed, several GVERT employees shot dead during ongoing incident

Date: Tuesday, June 28, 2022

File: Saanich Police File 22-12262

Victoria, British Columbia – Two suspects have died and several members of the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team (GVERT) were transported to a hospital during an ongoing incident at a bank in Saanic today. The shelter recommendation remains in effect for the North Dairy Road area to Cedar Hill Cross Road and Richmond Road to Cedar Hill Road, as officers are looking for a potential third suspect.

At around 11 a.m. this morning, police officers in Saanich, GVERT and VicPD responded to a signal that two armed men had entered a bank in block 3600 on Shelbourne Street in Saanich. Numerous officers responded to the scene and came across armed suspects shooting at police. Two suspects were shot dead by police and killed on the spot.

Six GVERT employees suffered gunshot wounds and were transported to hospital. We expect that some employees will be released after emergency treatment, while other employees have suffered serious injuries and have undergone surgery. We will provide additional updates on the status of these employees as far as we can.

Three of GVERT’s employees are police officers in Saanic. Three of GVERT’s employees are members of VicPD.

We do not currently believe that any bank employee, bank customers or members of the public were physically injured in this incident.

This remains an ongoing police incident with an increased police presence in the area.

Homes and businesses in the immediate vicinity of the scene were evacuated due to the presence of a potential explosive device in a vehicle connected to the suspects.

We will provide additional updates regarding the emergency response, this investigation and the well-being of our employees. We appreciate the ongoing support for our employees and community during this time.

As with all shootings involving officers in British Columbia, the Office of Independent Investigations (IIO) is also investigating the incident.

For updates, please follow @SaanichPolice or @VicPDCanada on Twitter.

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