The last of six police officers injured in a June shoot-out at a Shelbourne Street bank branch left hospital on Wednesday.
The eight-year member of Saanich Police Department had undergone several surgeries after being struck by multiple gunshots in the June 28 incident.
“This is a milestone day,” said Saanich Chief Const. Dean Duthie. “This is such a powerful, important day for the Saanich Police Department that we are bringing home our last injured member from the hospital.”
Police officers, firefighters and paramedics were on hand and emergency vehicles lined nearby roads to celebrate the officer’s release from hospital, Duthie said. “Everybody wanted to be a part of this.”
A total of six emergency response team officers — three from Victoria and three from Saanich — were injured in a gun fight with two men at the Bank of Montreal branch. The two bank robbers, brothers Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie, 22, from the Shawnigan Lake area, were killed at the scene.
Close to 22 staff and customers were inside when the two armed men entered the bank. No members of the public were injured.
More than a dozen Saanich officers and officers from other departments responded to the robbery. The ERT members were all in a white van that pulled up at the branch. Its front windshield was shattered by what appeared to be gunshots.
Duthie said wounds sustained by officers who were shot came from the suspects’ guns.
Another Saanich police officer was released in August from Royal Jubilee Hospital, while the third Saanich officer who was injured has returned to active duty.
The officer released Wednesday is expected to continue recovering for “many more months,” said Duthie, adding it’s too soon to comment on whether the officer will be able to return to active duty.
Some of the officers who responded to the bank robbery and were not sent to hospital have also been off work because of the trauma of the incident, he said.
The department’s reintegration program called on special resources such as a police psychologist who specializes in counselling, treatment and psychological area to meet one-on-one with officers, he said.
Although officers may be keen to return to work, the department listens to professional opinions to make sure they are ready, Duthie said.
Two investigations into the June 28 incident are underway, one by the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. and another overseen by the RCMP. Duthie said he believes both are nearing completion.
An online fundraising campaign launched by the Saanich Police Association and the Victoria City Police Union to support injured officers in their recuperation has raised $277,752.
