1973 Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce bank robbery
The 1973 Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce bank robbery was an event which occurred in Kenora, Ontario, Canada in the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce on May 10, 1973. A robber entered the bank with weapons and a homemade bomb and a shoulder bag and three duffel bags to fill it with money. When the robber got out of the bank with an officer, a police sniper shot him, setting off the explosives, killing the robber, and injuring an officer, Don Millard.[1]
| 1973 Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce bank robbery | |
|---|---|
| Location | Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Kenora, Ontario, Canada |
| Date | May 10, 1973 |
| Target | Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce |
Attack type | Robbery, hostage crisis |
| Weapons | Rifle, pistol, homemade bomb |
| Deaths | 1 (the bomber) |
| Injured | 1 |
| Victims | Don Millard (Officer) |
| Perpetrators | Unidentified man (alias Paul Higgins) |
| Motive | Robbery |
Events
On May 10, 1973 a man wearing a black balaclava mask entered the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in Kenora armed with a rifle, a pistol and a homemade bomb consisting of six sticks of dynamite. He had a dead man's switch held in his teeth to detonate it. He had a shoulder bag and three duffel bags that he demanded be filled with money. Police arrived to the scene and one police officer, posing as a truck driver, carried the bags outside, followed by the robber. Once outside, a police sniper shot the robber dead, triggering his bomb. The bomber was the only one to be killed, while constable Don Millard was injured and his pants ripped off by the explosion.[2][1]
Aftermath and mystery about bomber's identity
His brown leather wallet was recovered from the scene, which contained a pair of handcuff keys, 176 dollars, and a receipt from the Kenricia Hotel. It was revealed that he had checked into the hotel under the name Paul Higgins, giving a fake address of 435 Glen Drive, Toronto. He had arrived at the hotel on April 23, spending two days, before apparently taking a bus to Winnipeg. He left a steamer trunk - which also bore the name "P. Higgins" - stored at the hotel. He checked back in on May 5.[3]
Although he wore a mask during the robbery, and his remains were destroyed in the explosion, a man who wrote a book based on the incident, Joe Ralko, recall seeing the man in town during the days leading up to his death. The man is described as being in his 40s, with brown hair and a reddish-colored beard.[4][5] At first they had a suspect, but DNA samples from the suspect's brother did not match those taken from the crime scene. The now-dismissed former suspect was later found to be living in France.[4]
A book, The Devil's Gap: The Untold Story of Canada's First Suicide Bomber, was released in 2017, by Joe Ralko, one of the witnesses. Joe Ralko was 19 at the time of the bombing.[6]
The unidentified man is buried in an unmarked grave in Kenora Cemetery.[2]
See also
- Brian Douglas Wells, victim of an extortion; robbed a bank and also exploded by an explosive device connected to his neck outside
References
- "The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 12, 1973 ยท Page 2". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
- 40-Year-Old Kenora Bomber Remains A Mystery, CKDR.net (May 10, 1973)
- NCMPUR profile, NCMPUR
- Forty years after the identity of the Kenora bomber remains a mystery, Kenora Daily Miner (May 10, 2013)
- Former Regina journalist pens book about suicide bank robber-bomber, Regina Leader-Post (July 4, 2017)
- Dramatic chapter in Kenora, Ont., history subject of new book, CBC News (July 16, 2017)
Bibliography
Ralko, Joe: The Devil's Gap: The Untold Story of Canada's First Suicide Bomber; 2017