'Extreme violence' was goal in bank shooting that left 2 gunmen dead in Saanich, B.C.
CTV
Police believe that two heavily armed men were planning for a shootout with police after they entered a bank in Saanich, B.C., in June and demanded cash.
Police believe that two heavily armed men were planning for a shootout with police after they entered a bank in Saanich, B.C., in June and demanded cash.
The two gunmen, 22-year-old twin brothers Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie from Duncan, B.C., were killed in the ensuing gunfight, while six officers with the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team were injured.
Police say the brothers, who reportedly held very strong anti-government and anti-police views, arrived in the Saanich area around 9 a.m., two hours before the shooting occurred.
The pair circled the neighbourhood until about 10:30 a.m., when they parked in the bank parking lot.
Just after 11 a.m., the pair entered the bank wielding 7.62-millimetre calibre SKS rifles and wearing body armour. They also wore olive-green and camouflage clothing and had balaclavas on their faces.
Once they entered the bank, they fired a single shot into the ceiling and demanded cash. The money was handed over fairly quickly but the two men remained inside the bank for an additional 11 minutes before leaving, which police say supports the idea that the pair wanted an armed confrontation with police.
Twenty-two people were inside the bank at the time, including customers and employees.
