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Damaged windows can be seen in the distance as police gather near the scene of a shooting in Montreal on Monday which left three people dead.DAPHNE LEMELIN/AFP/Getty Images
A gun battle outside a Montreal hotel on Monday left a police officer, a civilian and a suspect dead, and prompted a nationwide alert to police forces about the possibility of copycats inspired by a manifesto tied to the shooting.
Videos shared on social media showed the gunman, wearing camouflage tactical gear, crouching behind a pillar outside the Hilton Garden Inn Montreal Midtown, firing a rifle at two police officers a few metres away. One officer took cover behind a planter; the other one, who appeared to be struck, crawled behind a parked car, where he remained motionless.
The city’s police chief, Fady Dagher, told reporters that the suspect was “neutralized” by police and that a civilian was also killed in the incident.
Montreal police identified the slain officer late Monday evening as Mohamed Lamine Benredouane. The 34-year-old constable had been with the force since 2021, according to a statement posted on their website.
The civilian was identified as an Israeli citizen, Michel Mizrahi, in a social media post by Israel’s consulate in Montreal.
The suspect was not publicly identified.
A Montreal police officer is dead and another officer is injured following a shooting that prompted a major police response and multiple crime scenes Monday in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, officials say.
The Associated Press
After the shooting, the RCMP sent a bulletin to multiple police agencies warning about possible copycats in other cities. “A 105-page manifesto reportedly originating from Alberta is allegedly encouraging citizens to shoot police officers,” according to a copy of the alert reviewed by The Globe and Mail. “Please exercise extreme caution and remain highly vigilant,” the advisory warns.
Sources from two major municipal police forces confirmed they had seen the bulletin. The Globe is not identifying the sources because they were not authorized to speak about the matter.
The RCMP did not respond to questions about their alert or whether the force is involved in the investigation.
Radio-Canada and the TVA network reported that the gunman wrote the manifesto, which they said expressed hatred toward women and spoke of the “incel” movement of misogynistic men. It was not immediately clear why the RCMP had connected the manifesto to Alberta.
Two of the videos posted online appear to show that the slain civilian was shot by the police officer squatting behind the planter. A witness who spoke to Radio-Canada also said that, during the gunfight, the civilian approached an officer, who swivelled around and fired at him. Police have not commented on who shot the civilian.
It was the third time a Canadian police officer has been killed in the line of duty this month. Ontario Provincial Police Constable Tarun Bali was run over while trying to apprehend a motorist near Hearst, Ont., on June 9. Two days later, a Toronto tactical officer, Constable Marc Pinizzotto, was shot dead while executing a search warrant.
Timeline of Canadian police officers killed in the line of duty
In Saskatchewan, a man was charged with attempted murder on Monday after two RCMP officers were shot and wounded outside a home in Melville, where police were called to what one neighbour described as a property dispute.
The Montreal shooting took place in Côte-des-Neiges, a neighbourhood known for its large immigrant and Jewish population. Chief Dagher said it was too early to comment on the suspect’s motive.
In addition to the three fatalities, another officer was taken to hospital in critical condition, but her life is not in danger, Chief Dagher told reporters.
The police chief said the incident began when someone called 911 around 11:35 a.m. to report seeing a gun barrel pointing out of one of the hotel’s windows.
Patrollers who arrived at the scene came under fire in the driveway outside the hotel.
Officials have not confirmed the authenticity of the videos posted online, but their details – the location, the make of the parked cars, where the slain officer fell – are identical to a clip that an eyewitness at the hotel captured and shared with The Globe.
Another witness, Ben Clerkin, a magazine editor visiting Montreal with his family to attend a wedding, said he saw a police officer lying on the ground from inside the hotel. He said a civilian was with the officer, apparently trying to administer CPR.
“It was pretty obvious straight away that guy was probably not going to make it,” Mr. Clerkin said.
Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette called on flags to be lowered to half-staff after a suspect opened fire at a Montreal hotel, killing a police officer. Police returned fire and killed the gunman, authorities said.
The Associated Press
Mr. Clerkin also saw the assailant after he’d been shot. He described the suspect as a white man looking very young and slight, with long, straw-coloured hair. He said the man was wearing a camouflage jacket with green pants and black boots.
“I walked outside, got a bit closer, and at that point the police started pushing people away and said there might be a second shooter,” he said.
Guests at the hotel fled down the stairs while screams and gunshots rang out. Police told others to barricade themselves upstairs.
Robert Benzrihem was shopping at the adjoining PA grocery store when the shooting began.
“We saw an army of police officers with their guns drawn saying, ‘Get down, get down, get down,’” he said. “It was like a movie.”
Witnesses told local media that they heard dozens of gunshots. One said she saw a man lying in his blood on the ground.
“Today, one of ours fell while doing his duty, protecting and serving,” Chief Dagher said, adding, “It’s a very, very sad day. It’s a nightmare.”
He said the suspect was armed with a long gun but would not give more details.
The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, which investigates incidents in which civilians are killed during police interventions in Quebec, said it had assigned 10 investigators with support from the Sûreté du Québec to probe the shooting.
“In these difficult times, Montreal stands united in grief, solidarity and support for all those carrying the weight of this tragedy,” Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada told reporters.
“I’m deeply shocked and saddened by what has occurred,” Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a post on X, said he was “horrified to learn” of the shooting. “My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, the first responders, and the entire community of Côte‑des‑Neiges. My gratitude is with our courageous police officers whose heroic dedication protects our communities,” he said.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree’s office said the minister spoke with Quebec’s Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière and exchanged messages with Montreal’s police chief to offer federal support and condolences.
Tearful bystanders were coming in all day to Megu Lan’s convenience store down the road, recounting what they had seen and heard.
“It’s not like Montreal,” the shopkeeper said.
David Ben-shir was at a Jewish community centre next door to the hotel when he heard the faint sound of gunshots in the late morning. Soon after, a security guard said they had to lock down the building. The lockdown lasted for several hours, while Mr. Ben-shir watched the heavy police presence surrounding the hotel.
Eventually, guests from the hotel were evacuated into the community centre. “We tried to be welcoming to them,” Mr. Ben-shir said. “Some people are very stressed out.”
Jacob Coutu, who was working in construction near the shooting, said he initially heard “four or five gunshots” on Monday morning. A few minutes later, he said, police officers started arriving at the scene in large numbers, and he heard more gunfire.
“We saw cops getting in a gunfight, getting shot down,” Mr. Coutu told The Canadian Press.
“I saw a cop go down, I saw the suspect go down,” said the worker, who estimated he heard 30 or 40 gunshots.
With reports from Patrick White, Steven Chase and The Canadian Press