Two years after the shocking shooting at the Bank of Montreal in Saanich, a documentary has been released.
The documentary gives a glimpse of what occurred prior to the mass shootout between the two gunman and police, more details on the injuries sustained by the six Greater Victoria Emergency Response officers and what occurred inside the bank.
On June 28th, 2022, a shootout occurred between two gunmen and police officers responding to a robbery at a Bank of Montreal branch on Shelbourne Street.
Both gunmen, later identified as twin brothers Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie, were killed by police, and six officers were injured, three of them severely.
Following an investigation by the RCMP, it was alleged that the robbery had been staged to lure police officers into an armed confrontation, which is talked about in the documentary.
The Auchterlonie brothers were motivated by anti-police sentiment and opposition to government restrictions on firearms. They chose the bank at random after abandoning plans for a larger attack in 2023.
The gunmen demanded money and herded the hostages towards the vault. However, instead of escaping with the cash, the brothers paced inside the bank as police arrived on the scene.
The documentary, titled Crime Beat: Double Deception (Season 5, Episode 25), premiered on June 21st. It featured several officers from the GVERT team including the last Saanich Police officer to be released from hospital.
Saanich Police Constable Damian Pellew spent 71 days in hospital, and shares his ordeal from the start of the incident to the day he was released to recover at his home with family.
The feature is about 45 minutes long and can be watched on YouTube:
