Nearly two years after the incident occurred, a ceremony was held to honour and award the officers who were involved in the Bank of Montreal (BMO) shooting on Shelbourne Street.
On June 28th, in 2022, police officers with Saanich Police, VicPD and the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team responded to shots being fired at the Saanich BMO location.
Multiple officers responded and exchanged gunfire with the individuals who had entered the bank heavily armed.
Although no police officers or civilians died, six officers did suffer life-altering wounds in the gunfire exchange.
The suspects were shot and killed in the exchange of gunfire.
It was later discovered the two suspects were brothers from Mill Bay named Matthew and Isaac Auchterlonic.
Based on the investigation conducted following the shooting, it is now believed the brothers went into the situation not hoping to rob the bank, but hoping to kill and injure as many police officers as possible.
Related:
- New details reveal Saanich bank robbers intended to ‘kill or injure’ as many officers as possible
- IIO report reveals new unreleased details surrounding deadly shooting at Saanich bank
On Tuesday, January 30th, Saanich Police Chief Dean Duthie recognized 86 police officers and 26 units in a ceremony acknowledging their actions during the situation.
The awards given out by Chief Duthie included the Chief Constable’s Award of Valour, Citizen’s Life Saving Award, Life Saving Award, Citizen’s Certificate of Recognition, Leadership Award, Unit Commendation and the Chief Constable’s Commendation.
“This formal recognition ceremony was a very important and emotional time for all the award recipients, their families, and everyone who serves alongside them,” said Chief Constable Duthie.
“Presenting each award is a moment that I will never forget – my heart continues to be filled with gratitude, honour, and respect. Our officers continue to report for duty every day and night to keep Saanich safe – this is something that we all need to acknowledge and appreciate.”
 shooting on Shelbourne Street.){kind=link}