Two gunmen killed in shootout at Canadian bank
STORY: Canadian police say two gunmen were shot dead and six officers were wounded during a gunfight at a bank in British Columbia.
Tuesday's violence took place at the Bank of Montreal in Saanich, on Vancouver Island.
Nearby homes also had to be evacuated after the discovery of a possible explosive device in a vehicle associated with the suspects.
Saanich police chief Dean Duthie told a news conference the suspects had been heavily armed, and initial reports suggested they wore body armor.
"At approximately 11 a.m. (1800 GMT) this morning, officers with the Saanich police, GVERT and VIC PD responded to a report that two armed men had entered a bank in the 36th hundred block in Gerbert street in Saanich. Multiple officers responded to the scene and encountered the armed suspects who fired at police. Two suspects, who were shot by police, died at the scene. Six GVERT officers suffered gun shot wounds.''
Duthie added that the six wounded officers were taken to hospital, some of whom would soon be released but others "sustained very serious injuries".
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter he was "shocked and saddened" by the violence.
