Montreal shooting kills police officer and civilian

A Montreal police officer and a civilian were killed Monday after a gunman opened fire in the city’s Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, prompting a major police response, emergency alerts and temporary transit shutdowns before officers shot the suspect dead.

Police identified the slain officer as Constable Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, who had served with the Montreal Police Service since 2021. A second officer was seriously wounded but was in stable condition, Police Chief Fady Dagher said.

“It is with immense sadness that we confirm the death of one of our police officers in the line of duty,” Montreal police said in a statement posted on X.

Dagher called Benredouane a “great, great, great police officer” who was “very passionate.” Speaking to reporters, he said the killing marked the first time the Montreal police service had lost an officer in the line of duty since 2002. “It’s a very, very sad day. It’s a nightmare,” he said.

The shooting began late Monday morning. Dagher said someone called emergency services around 11:35 a.m. to report a person sticking a gun out of a window at the Hilton hotel. Police arrived and were targeted with gunfire, he said. NPR reported that video showed the shooter was also outside the hotel.

The suspect was armed with a long gun, police said. Officers returned fire and killed him. Dagher said the suspect was “shot right away,” but police had not determined who shot the civilian who died.

“I don’t have the details yet,” Dagher said. He also said he did not know the civilian’s identity or whether the person was Jewish.

The shooting took place in an area of Côte-des-Neiges with kosher restaurants and supermarkets frequented by Montreal’s large Jewish community, near a supermarket, shops and a residential building. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said it was “closely monitoring the situation.”

“As we await more details about the nature of this horrifying incident, we urge community members to exercise vigilance,” the group said.

Police said there was no ongoing threat and the community was safe. Dagher said investigators were still trying to determine the suspect’s motive and did not have details on whether the shooter, or someone else, called 911 to lure officers into an ambush.

“I don’t think it was police target, but maybe we’ll see what the investigation would tell us,” he said.

Public safety officials issued an emergency alert warning of an armed and dangerous suspect in the area and asking residents to shelter in place, NPR reported. The alert led to temporary closures on the Décarie expressway and a temporary shutdown of significant sections of two subway lines.

Videos posted on social media appeared to show an exchange of gunfire between police and a person carrying a long gun and wearing an olive-colored jacket and cargo pants, NPR reported. The videos appeared to show a civilian and at least one officer being shot, while the person in olive-colored clothing appeared to be shot while adjusting or reloading a weapon.

Jacob Coutu, who was working construction nearby, told NPR he heard “four of five gunshots” Monday morning before police began arriving in large numbers. Then he heard more shots.

“We saw cops getting in a gunfight, getting shot down,” Coutu said. He estimated he heard 30 or 40 gunshots.

Quebec Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière said he would not comment on the suspect’s identity or motive because the case is under investigation by an independent police watchdog, which reviews injuries and deaths involving police. He said multiple agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, were consulted before investigators concluded the shooting was not a terrorist attack.

Lafrenière also urged people not to share videos of the shooting “out of respect for those who were killed,” NPR reported.

Quebec Premier Christine Frechette said she was “deeply shaken by the tragic events.” She added, “It is essential to allow the authorities to do their work and to avoid speculation.”