Police identify Saanich, B.C., gunmen as 22-year-old twin brothers
Mounties on Vancouver Island have publicly identified the two gunmen killed during a shootout with police at a bank in Saanich on Tuesday.
The suspects were 22-year-old twin brothers Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie, the BC RCMP's Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit confirmed at a news conference Saturday morning.
The twins are from Duncan, B.C., and their family is cooperating with the investigation and has asked for privacy, said BC RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Alex Bérubé.
Neither man had a criminal record and were not previously known to police, he added.
"We understand that the release of the names of the two deceased may answer the who, but there are still many questions and investigation efforts that need to take place in order to fully understand what took place and why," Bérubé said.
"The motive behind the armed robbery and subsequent exchange of gunfire with police has not yet been determined."
CTV News Vancouver Island has confirmed that the now-deleted Instagram account @isaacauchterlonie867 belonged to Isaac Auchterlonie.
The account featured several posts that used anti-government hashtags, interspersed with shots of nature, rifles and ammunition.
Bérubé added that investigators believe there may be people who have more information about the brothers who have not yet spoken to police.
"We need those people to come forward," he said.
Bérubé did not have an update on the condition of the three officers injured in the incident who remained in hospital as of Thursday. He referred questions about those officers to the Saanich and Victoria police departments.
Police, including officers from the heavily armed Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team, were called to the Bank of Montreal branch on Shelbourne Street in Saanich around 11 a.m. Tuesday for reports of a bank robbery.
Officers encountered the two suspects as they were leaving the bank, and a shootout ensued.
The suspects were killed and six officers were injured. While police initially said they were investigating the possibility of a third suspect involved in the robbery attempt, Bérubé said Saturday that investigators now believe the Auchterlonie brothers were the only suspects in the bank.
Investigators continue to look into whether anyone else was involved or associated with the incident, he said.
After the initial exchange of gunfire, police found "improvised explosive devices" inside the suspects' vehicle, which they've since described as a white, four-door 1992 Toyota Camry with two black racing stripes over its hood and roof.
Bérubé said Saturday that police had confirmed that the Auchterlonie brothers were associated with the vehicle, and said investigators have received several calls and tips about the car.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports betters, the league says.
BREAKING Former Air Canada employees among suspects identified in gold heist at Pearson airport: police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
MPs summon ArriveCan contractor to the House to be admonished in rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archaeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.
Some millennials say federal budget was 'a letdown' amid cost of living struggles
It’s a picture-perfect scene: Adam and Maria Reynolds are playing with their daughters inside their Port Coquitlam, B.C. home. Watching them together, you might not realize the Reynolds household is stretched to its limit.