Two of the six officers who were injured in a shooting outside a bank in Saanich, BC, almost two weeks ago are still in hospital after surgery, but according to police, their condition is improving.
Both officers are from the Saanich Police Department (SPD).
In a statement Monday, police said one of the officers who had been in the intensive care unit (ICU) since the June 28 shooting was recently transferred from the ICU.
“Our officers, civilian staff and volunteers are deeply inspired by the strength and determination of our two officers in the hospital as they continue to make day-to-day improvements,” Saanich police chief Dean Duthie said.
The RCMP says Mathew, left, and Isaac Auchterlonie were the armed bank robbers killed in a shooting outside a Bank of Montreal in Saanich, BC, on June 28. (Sent by the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crimes Unit)
Three Saanich officers and three from the Victoria Police Department (VPD), all members of the emergency response team, were injured in the shooting with 22-year-old twin brothers, Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie, of Duncan, BC , off a Montreal bench.
An SPD officer and the three VPD agents are recovering at his home.
Members of the public look through the doors of Saanich, the BC police department on Thursday, June 30, 2022, where bouquets of flowers were placed in support of the injured officers. (Susana da Silva / CBC)
The joint statement from the Saanich and Victoria police departments said officers and staff have been participating in briefings with both the support of colleagues and a psychologist.
“Saanich’s police department continues to move forward on the path of recovery and healing, which is strongly driven by the care, support, trust and confidence of the community and between agencies,” Duthie said.
He says the affected officers are involved in job reintegration training, which includes exposure to firearms and acclimatization to gunfire.