What we've learned about the deadly shootout between 2 brothers and police in Saanich, B.C.

For months, the deadly encounter between two brothers and police outsidea bank on Vancouver Islandwas described as an attempted robbery.

But on Friday, RCMP releaseddetails of their investigation into what happened on June 28, 2022some of whichhave changed the narrative.

Between RCMP's latest information andaninvestigation by the Independent Investigation Office (IIO),here's what we now know about the shootout outside the Bank of Montreal on Shelbourne Street in Saanich, B.C.

Where and howdid the incident unfold?

RCMP said Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonieleft the Mill Bay area on June 28around 8:30 a.m., making the roughly30-minute drive south to Saanich in their white Toyota Camry.

Over the next couple of hours, the brothers circled the block,pulling in and out of the Bank of Montreal's parking lotbefore finally parking the vehicle at 10:54 a.m.

Saanich Chief Const. Dean Duthie said the first 911 call came at11:02 a.m.

Minutes later, police fromthe Greater Victoria Emergency Response TeamandSaanich Police Department responded toreports oftwo armed men entering the bank.

According to the IIO whichinvestigates police interactions where someone is killed orinjured witnesses in the bank said the brothers herdedstaff and customers into the vault, then started pacing the hallwayand looking out the windows.

The IIO report says the Auchterlonieswereexitingthe bank whenan unmarked van carrying seven police officers pulled into the parking lot.

Gunfire broke out almost immediately after an officer opened a sliding door to throw a flashbang device.

Six officers were struck and theirmedic and driver both fired back with pistols as Saanich policerushed toward the scene.

The report says oneof the brothers was shot in the head as he attempted to move across the parking lot, and the other was struck several timeswhile shooting toward the van, later trying to crawl toward his brother.

Autopsies showone brother was struck by three bullets and the other by nine.

What do we know about the suspects' motive?

RCMP saidtheAuchterloniesweren't after money andwere holding up the bank to lure police.

"It was determined the suspects' primary objective was to shoot and kill police officers in what they saw as a stand against government regulations, especially in relation to firearms ownership," said RCMP Cpl. Alex Berube of the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit.

Neither brother had criminal records; neither were known to police or werethe focus of any police agency before the incident.

Policesaid familywereshocked by the brothers'actions and were co-operative with theinvestigation.

RCMPbelieve Mathew and Isaac Auchterloniehad been planning violence since 2019, hiding a stockpile of weapons, homemade improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and body armour.

They said the brothers were socially isolatedand spent all of their time together,worked manufacturing jobs at the same company and used most of their income to buy the gear they used in the attack.

Police said the brothers had"anti-government" and "anti-police"views, and their goal wasto kill as many officers as possible.

The brothers quit their jobs the week before the shootout, and seemed toknow their actionswould likely result in their deaths, police said.

How did police rule out a 3rdsuspect?

Police initially believed there might have been a third suspect involved with the brothers, who were two-thirds of a set of triplets.

Witnesses had varying accounts of seeing three suspects in the area, or of another individual dropping the two brothers off at the bank, police said Friday.

One hostage confused theunmarked van carrying policeas potentially linkedto the Auchterlonies.

These accounts, and tipsregarding the suspects' vehicle potentially being connected to three peoplewere eventually deemed inaccurate,but police said they spenthours interviewing people and reviewingfootage to be sure.

B.C. bank robbery suspects acted alone, motivated by 'anti-authority beliefs'

2 years ago

Duration 0:45

Sanjaya Wijayakoon of the BC RCMP Major Crime Program confirmed in a press conference Friday the two B.C. bank robbery suspects acted alone.

Officers also canvassed thebrothers' neighbourhoodand spoke to family and friends to confirmthe third triplet was not with Mathew and Isaacthat day.

Police said they also received several reports of an individualin the Saanich area wearing camouflage in the days after the shootout,whom they later determined was unconnected tothe brothers.

Where were the weapons from?

TheAuchterlonies were each carrying an SKS-45 semi-automatic rifle when they walked into the bank,which they later turned on police.

They both had licenses for non-restricted and restricted firearms. Whilethe rifles were not restricted at the time, they were outfitted with prohibited over-capacity magazines and one of the gun's serial numbers had been defaced, police said.

SKS rifles are of Russian origin and date back to the 1950s, making them impossible to trace. Police saidthey're not sure where the brothers, who also wore illegal body armour, got their weapons, and noted the brotherstook steps to conceal where they got their equipment.

RCMP said a search ofthe suspects' car found four more guns three semi-automatic rifles and a shotgun over 30 IEDs,3,500 rounds of ammunition and 100 ammunition magazines plus helmets, body armour, utility belts and gun pouches.

When police searched the Auchterlonieresidence in the Cowichan Valley,they found more guns and ammunition, homemade IEDs similar to the onesin the car, and materials showingthe brothers planned to build their own handgun.

What do we know about the injured officers?

Six specialized police officers alltrained to respond to and handle dangerous and high-risk events in the region were injured during the shooting.

The officer most severely injured spent 71 days in hospital and underwent multiple surgeries. Saanich police Chief Dean Duthie said five of the six officers who were were hurt, all from the Saanich Police Department, are still off duty.

"There were significant physical injuries that were suffered on that day and there are still officers that have not returned to work because of those injuries," he said, addingsome officers are also working through psychological trauma related to the incident, while others anticipatereturning to work soon.

He thanked the community for itssupportand said he and his staff choose to remember the incident as a day when police actions protected and saved innocent lives.

"In doing this, significant physical, psychological and emotionalinjuries came as a result," he said.

"This is an event that we will never forget."