Fabien Cousineau had just stepped outside after buying some bicycle parts Tuesday morning when a police officer came and told him not to move.
Unable to get to his truck, Cousineau stayed where he was. Across the street, in his neighbourhood of Saanich, B.C., north of Victoria, was a Bank of Montreal.
"I was looking and there was some policemen making their way with a police dog to the bank and that's when I said to myself, 'Well, I think there's a holdup at the bank,'" he told CTV News Vancouver Island, becoming emotional at times as he recalled the events.
"And as soon as I said that, guns started, glass shattered, and saw some policemen falling down."
He remembers seeing one person, a "thief," who appeared to be shot, while police pulled wounded officers back to safety and placed them into cruisers before driving away.
"I just pray that they are going to be fine," Cousineau said.
Multiple officers from Saanich Police, the Victoria Police Department and Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team had responded to a report of armed suspects at a bank in the 3600 block of Shelbourne Street at approximately 11 a.m. local time.
Police say two armed suspects began firing at police when they arrived.
Officers then returned fire, killing the two suspects. Six police officers are in hospital with gunshot wounds because of the shooting.
Three of the six officers shot were members of Saanich police, while the other three are from the Victoria Police Department.
"At this time we anticipate that some officers will be released following emergency treatment, whereas other officers sustained very serious injuries and have been taken into surgery," Saanich Police Chief Const. Dean Duthie said at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Cleo Gagner and her son had just finished shopping at a nearby veterinary clinic when they heard what appeared to be multiple gunshots.
"I've never heard gunshots that loud and that fast before," she said.
They and a couple of others ran back into the vet's office and waited.
Not long after, more police officers began to arrive, their guns drawn.
"I don't think anyone woke up and thought that this is going to happen like this today. I'm really sad for their families," she said.
With files from CTV News Vancouver Island
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
From plans to boost new housing stock, encourage small businesses, and increase taxes on Canada’s top-earners, CTVNews.ca has sifted through the 416-page budget to find out what will make the biggest difference to your pocketbook.
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
Five thousand public service jobs will be cut over the next four years, while underused federal office buildings, Canada Post properties and the National Defence Medical Centre in Ottawa could be turned into new housing units, as the federal government looks to find billions of dollars in savings and boost the country's housing portfolio.
Police say that arrests have been made in connection with a $20-million gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport one year ago.
Shoppers Drug Mart is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit by current and former franchise owners at the retail chain who allege parent company Loblaw engaged in corporate practices that placed them in an “irredeemable conflict of interest” and put patient care at risk.
Lululemon says it is combining function and fashion in its first-ever summer kit for Canada's Olympians and Paralympians.
A group of doctors say Canadian cancer screening guidelines set by a national task force are out-of-date and putting people at risk because their cancers aren't detected early enough.
The strain placed on Canadian health care during the COVID-19 pandemic shows no sign of abating, and the top official of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is warning that improving the system will be a 'slow process' requiring sustained investment.
British Columbia's highest court has upheld a manslaughter conviction against a Vancouver man who shoved a senior outside a busy Costco store, rejecting his argument that the trial judge failed to consider how his claustrophobia and fear of crowds led to the fatal altercation.
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
A man who was shot in the face in downtown Vancouver earlier this month was an innocent bystander, according to an update from authorities.
Police say that arrests have been made in connection with a $20-million gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport one year ago.
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
Toronto police say they are monitoring a pro-Palestinian protest blocking railway lines in the city.
A Crown prosecutor making the case against three men charged with mischief at the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., told jurors Tuesday they don’t have to determine the accused were kingpins of the protest in order find them guilty.
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
Calgary police say the driver of a BMW was given a summons for a mandatory court appearance after being caught travelling more than double the speed limit.
Five thousand public service jobs will be cut over the next four years, while underused federal office buildings, Canada Post properties and the National Defence Medical Centre in Ottawa could be turned into new housing units, as the federal government looks to find billions of dollars in savings and boost the country's housing portfolio.
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
The Ottawa Police Service will receive $50 million in new federal funding over the next five years to "enhance security" around the Parliamentary Precinct.
A Quebec Superior Court judge has authorized a class-action lawsuit against 16 pharmaceutical companies that are alleged to have misled consumers about the efficacy and dangers of opioid medications.
Despite sharing the Parti Quebecois (PQ)'s desire to make Quebec a country, Quebec Solidaire (QS) parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois has roundly criticized PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's speech, calling it 'conservative.'
An international competition is hoping to gather new and interesting ways to recycle Montreal's Olympic Stadium roof, which is set to be dismantled this summer.
A pipeline was involved in a wildfire in western Alberta on Tuesday, Yellowhead County says.
The Edmonton Oilers are bringing back watch parties inside and outside Rogers Place when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin in the coming days.
Three people have been charged after police recovered nearly half a million dollars worth of stolen property.
The Nova Scotia RCMP says four people have been charged following a man’s homicide two years ago.
A portion of Barrington Street has reopened after a three-vehicle crash Tuesday morning.
An inmate who escaped from Dorchester Penitentiary in Dorchester, N.B., on Saturday evening has a long history of violent crimes and a history of escaping custody.
Three teenagers were arrested in connection with a pair of alleged hazing incidents on a Manitoba hockey team, police say.
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
One Winnipeg sports memorabilia shop has been the target of multiple break-ins and is now looking to recover some stolen property.
Winter weather seemed to be in the rear view mirror for Saskatchewan the past couple weeks, but now Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is forecasting as much as 30 centimetres of snow for some parts of the province.
Saskatchewan's finance minister was ordered to apologize after she sent the Speaker a text accusing him of letting the legislature devolve into an 'Opposition puppet show' on Monday.
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
Cambridge resident Samantha Falkiner explains why something felt "off" about the men who approached her and her neighbours on Friday.
Waterloo Regional Police Services has released the estimated total cost for the St. Patrick’s Day weekend in the city of Waterloo.
Brantford police are investigating a series of personal thefts and are seeking information from the public to identify the people responsible.
The founders of a Saskatoon real estate investment company that left investors with millions of dollars in losses have reached a settlement with Saskatchewan’s financial and consumer watchdog.
Friends are raising money for the grieving family of a 16-year-old Saskatoon boy who was killed in a high-speed crash that injured two other teens on Sunday morning.
Winter weather seemed to be in the rear view mirror for Saskatchewan the past couple weeks, but now Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is forecasting as much as 30 centimetres of snow for some parts of the province.
Rescue crews are searching for a man reported missing on the weekend after the vehicle he was driving was pulled into a creek near the Quebec border in northern Ontario.
As city council in Sudbury prepares to debate – again! -- the future of Sudbury Arena, here’s a quick look back at how residents got here.
City officials in Sudbury say construction season started early this year thanks to the warm weather this spring.
One person is confirmed deceased and the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 are closed following a two-vehicle collision Tuesday afternoon.
A driver from London will have to find alternative transportation after an OPP officer clocked them travelling nearly 200 km/h on Highway 401 over the weekend.
A number of students have been displaced after a house fire in east London near Fanshawe College. Crews were called to the scene on Prosperity Court late Monday night.
Two new shows are coming to Casino Rama's Entertainment Centre for fans of country music and 80s rock.
Fire officials say a lithium-ion battery inside a vacuum cleaner sparked a fire at an apartment complex Sunday afternoon in Gravenhurst.
Owen Sound dog owners could face a pretty penny for not leashing their dogs or picking up after them.
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
The ‘faint hope’ hearing of Ali Al-Shammari, 38, continued Tuesday in Superior court.
Windsor police are asking for the public’s help identifying a suspect wanted for a string of retail thefts at local pharmacies.
British Columbia's highest court has upheld a manslaughter conviction against a Vancouver man who shoved a senior outside a busy Costco store, rejecting his argument that the trial judge failed to consider how his claustrophobia and fear of crowds led to the fatal altercation.
The Department of Fisheries says planning for a new attempt to rescue an orca calf trapped in a Vancouver Island lagoon will be finalized in the next few days but no date has been set.
The family of a Victoria, B.C., woman who was seriously injured in an accident in Thailand is pleading for help as medical bills pile up.
British Columbia is planning to add 240 new units to its complex-care housing program, providing homes for people with mental-health and addictions challenges that overlap with other serious conditions.
More than 80 residents from a low-income apartment building in Kelowna, B.C., have learned they won't be able to return to their homes for at least another two weeks.
Mounties are investigating a reported "road rage" incident in Kelowna, B.C., that left two men injured last week.
Lethbridge West MLA Shannon Phillips is calling on the province to reinstate funding for the Lethbridge Elder Abuse Response Network.
If you’re planning to head to the coulees this weekend to enjoy the nice weather, don’t forget to look down.
With the weather starting to feel like spring is really here, more kids will likely be outside enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures, which organizers of the Slow Your Roll campaign say is a perfect time to re-launch the campaign.
Police in Sault Ste. Marie have charged a 26-year-old with stunt driving following an incident Tuesday morning.
Here is a look at how some northern Ontario colleges are being affected by the new Canadian immigration policy that has reduced the number of new international students.
The City of Sault Ste. Marie is expecting a busy summer at the Downtown Plaza. City officials say the plaza is coming off a successful first winter season, which saw large crowds gathering at the outdoor rink.
A pricing agreement has been reached between crab fishers and seafood processors that will allow for Newfoundland and Labrador's annual crab fishery to get started.
Longliners across Newfoundland and Labrador are tied up once again, as a new protest by the province's fish harvesters threatens to derail the crab fishery for a second straight year.
A unique photo exhibit is putting cameras into the hands of survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing an unusual bond with deer.
A Sudbury woman said her husband was bringing the recycling out to the curb Wednesday night when he had to make a 'mad dash' inside after seeing a bear.
A school teacher who took part in the Quebec version of the Survivor reality TV show took time off work to be a contestant is now out of a job.
A young actor from Prince Edward Island is getting the chance to fulfill a childhood dream, playing the precocious and iconic Anne Shirley on stage.
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
From plans to boost new housing stock, encourage small businesses, and increase taxes on Canada’s top-earners, CTVNews.ca has sifted through the 416-page budget to find out what will make the biggest difference to your pocketbook.
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
The strain placed on Canadian health care during the COVID-19 pandemic shows no sign of abating, and the top official of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is warning that improving the system will be a 'slow process' requiring sustained investment.
A group of doctors say Canadian cancer screening guidelines set by a national task force are out-of-date and putting people at risk because their cancers aren't detected early enough.
The British government's plan for a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking cleared its first hurdle in Parliament on Tuesday despite vocal opposition from within Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party.
NASA confirmed Monday that a mystery object that crashed through the roof of a Florida home last month was a chunk of space junk from equipment discarded at the International Space Station.
Using genes from coffee plants around the world, researchers built a family tree for the world's most popular type of coffee, known to scientists as Coffea arabica and to coffee lovers simply as 'arabica.'
NASA is seeking innovative methods that could help retrieve samples collected by the Perseverance rover on Mars in the future.
Participant, the activist film and television studio that has financed Oscar winners like 'Spotlight' and socially conscious documentaries like 'Food, Inc,' and 'Waiting For Superman' is closing its doors after 20 years.
Classic characters, new stories, fresh mashups. Will it all be a bonanza for makers as classic works again begin entering the public domain?
A portrait of Winston Churchill by an artist whose work the British leader loathed went on display Tuesday at Churchill's birthplace ahead of an auction in June.
Shoppers Drug Mart is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit by current and former franchise owners at the retail chain who allege parent company Loblaw engaged in corporate practices that placed them in an “irredeemable conflict of interest” and put patient care at risk.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the annual pace of housing starts in March declined seven per cent compared with February.
Tim Hortons is launching flatbread pizzas nationally in a bid to pick up more afternoon and evening customers.
In Salman Rushdie's first book since the 2022 stabbing that hospitalized him and left him blind in one eye, the author wastes no time reliving the day he thought might be his last.
The one thing 9-year-old Cal Clifford wanted more than anything since he was a toddler was a pet octopus.
His new book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,” essentially calls for a revolution in how parents administer smartphones and social media to their teens.
Three teenagers were arrested in connection with a pair of alleged hazing incidents on a Manitoba hockey team, police say.
An Ontario woman says she never expected to be gifted a Blue Jays jersey for her ailing husband when she sat alone at the team’s home opener next to a couple of kind strangers.
Lululemon says it is combining function and fashion in its first-ever summer kit for Canada's Olympians and Paralympians.
Tesla has hit a series of roadblocks, including increased competition and declining sales. The company announced Monday it is slashing 10 per cent of its global workforce.
A driver from London will have to find alternative transportation after an OPP officer clocked them travelling nearly 200 km/h on Highway 401 over the weekend.
General Motors will move its Detroit headquarters to a new downtown office building next year and work to redevelop its iconic home along the Detroit River, company and city officials confirmed Monday.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
