Chief Constable Dean Duthie of Saanich PD and Chief Constable Del Manak of VicPD have provided updates regarding the conditions of the police officers injured in the Saanich shooting incident that took place last month.
At approximately 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 28th, officers with Saanich Police, Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team (GVERT), and VicPD responded to a call that two armed men had entered the Bank of Montreal on Shelbourne Street in Saanich.
The two heavily-armed men, later identified as two brothers from Duncan, engaged in a shootout with officers outside of the building.
During the gunfight, six members of the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team, three from Saanich Police and three from VicPD, were shot and transported to hospital.
Three officers were released from hospital following immediate medical care, and three officers who had sustained life-threatening injuries at the time remained in hospital following surgery.
Now, Saanich PD and VicPD are providing updates on the conditions of the injured officers.
According to a July 11th release, two GVERT officers with Saanich Police remain in hospital following surgery, with one recovering at home.
One of these officers, who has been in the intensive care unit (ICU) since the incident almost two weeks ago, has seen his condition improve and was recently moved out of the ICU.
One VicPD member of GVERT was released from the hospital Friday. All three injured VicPD officers and all members of GVERT are now recovering at home.
“The Saanich Police Department continues to move forward along the road of recovery and healing, which is heavily fueled by community and interagency care, support, trust and confidence,” said Saanich Police Chief Constable Dean Duthie.
“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. We are all very pleased to know that VicPD’s officers are now all at home resting and recovering.”
At both Saanich Police and VicPD, several officers and staff were involved in the incident in some capacity and continue to recover.
Officers and staff continue to participate in critical incident debrief sessions with both peer support and the support of a psychologist.
Additionally, Saanich Police and VicPD officers affected by the incident are participating in workplace re-integration training, which works to diminish the potential for long term psychological injury through a step-by-step process that addresses the unique stressors officers may experience after a critical incident.
“The support from our community in the aftermath of this incident has been overwhelming,” said VicPD Chief Constable Del Manak.
“I especially want to thank all of the medical professionals who cared for our injured officers and helped them on their road to recovery. Having this officer home and resting with his family is the next step in our recovery process, and we continue to keep those officers recovering, both in hospital and at home, in our thoughts.”
The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit who took control of the investigation continues to investigate and is asking anyone with information to call them at (250) 380-6211.
