Saanich bank where 6 police officers were shot, 2 suspects killed reopens to customers
CTV
A Saanich, B.C., bank branch where police officers faced a hail of gunfire in a botched robbery has reopened Tuesday.
It has been exactly three weeks since the shooting occurred, and staff have spent much of that time cleaning the branch, according to the BMO Financial Group. Doors to the bank reopened at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
"Work has been underway to clean up the branch and to come back stronger than ever," reads an e-mail sent to branch members.
On June 28, six members of the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team (GVERT) were shot as they entered into a gun battle with two heavily armed men adorned in body armor and masks.
The two suspects, who would later be identified as 22-year-old twin brothers from the Cowichan Valley, B.C., were shot dead as the highly trained police unit attempted to secure the bank.
The twins' motivation to enter the bank that Tuesday morning and eventually fire at officers remains unknown, according to investigators.
The shooters' social media profiles did paint a troubling picture.
Posts were filled with images of the boys firing rifles, running around the bush dressed in camouflage clothing, and some captions included anti-government rhetoric.
The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crimes Unit (VIIMCU) has taken over the investigation into the brazen daylight shootout.
