Saanich Police are honouring the life of Police Constable Robert (Bob) Norman Barry Kirby today on the 65th anniversary of his death.
What started as an ordinary night ended in tragedy when Kirby was called away from his position at the Saanich Police Department (SPD) to assist his fellow officers when a psychiatric patient escaped the Colquitz Provincial Mental Hospital (today the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre) on Wilkinson Road.
Kirby was murdered in the line of duty on April 24, 1960, by the patient after he stole two .22 calibre rifles and proceeded to fire upon unarmed hospital staff. He remains the only Saanich police officer to have been killed in the line of duty during the SPD’s 119 years of service.
When he arrived on the Markham Street scene, Kirby joined Police Corporal Bob Coleman in one of several search teams. Shortly after, Kirby was ambushed and shot in the chest by the escapee, hiding in the bushes nearby. He was killed instantly. Corporal Coleman returned fire but missed the escapee, who fled into a wooded area just off Viaduct Avenue. The escapee later shot another nurse in the shoulder. Fortunately, she survived her injuries.
Eventually, Constable Walter Mycock shot and immobilized the escapee, who was quickly arrested. However, the escapee never stood trial due to his mental state and was later recommitted to a different institution.
At the time of his murder, Kirby was a nine-year police veteran following his seven years of service with the St. Boniface and Winnipeg Police Services and two years with Saanich police. He was also a veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy.
Kirby was survived by his wife Dorothy and their four children, at the time three-week-old Shaun, three-year-old Candace, six-year-old James and nine-year-old Robert.
On Thursday, April 24, Saanich Police officers attended the Royal Oak burial park at Constable Kirby’s grave to lay wreaths and remember him through a brief service.
“We will always remember and honour Constable Kirby for paying the ultimate sacrifice to keep his community of Saanich safe,” Saanich Police stated in the memorial article on their website.
