MONTREAL — A suspect armed with a long gun opened fire Monday at a Montreal hotel, killing a police officer before officers returned fire, killing him, police said. A civilian also died but it wasn't immediately clear who fired that shot.
Police Chief Fady Dagher said a second officer was seriously injured in the shooting in the city's Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood but is in stable condition.
The chief said it was the first time in 24 years that a Montreal police officer had been killed in the line of duty. "It's a very, very sad day. It's a nightmare," he told reporters.
Dagher said someone called emergency services around 11:35 a.m. about a person who was sticking a gun out of a window at the Hilton hotel. Police arrived at the scene and were targeted with gunfire, he said. Video showed the shooter was also outside the hotel.
Police are still trying to determine the suspect's motive.
Dagher said he didn't know who shot the civilian.
Police identified the deceased officer as Constable Mohamed Lamine Benredouan, 34. He had been with the force since 2021.
Videos posted on social media appear to show the exchange of gunfire between police and a person carrying a long gun who was wearing an olive-colored jacket and cargo pants.
The videos appear to show a civilian and at least one officer getting shot, while the person in the olive-colored clothing appeared to get shot while adjusting or reloading their weapon.
Jacob Coutu, who was working in construction near the shooting, said he heard "four of 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," Coutu said.
He estimates he heard 30 or 40 gunshots.
Public safety officials issued an emergency alert about an armed and dangerous suspect in the area, asking residents to shelter in place. The alert triggered temporary closures along a major highway, the Décarie expressway, as well as a temporary shutdown of significant sections of two subway lines.
Quebec Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière said he would refrain from commenting on details about the suspect's identity and motives since the matter is now under investigation by an independent police watchdog, which investigates injuries and deaths involving police.
But he confirmed multiple agencies were consulted, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, before investigators concluded that the shooting was not a terrorist attack.
Lafrenière, a former Montreal police officer, also acknowledged that there are some videos circulating of the shooting and he urged members of the public not to share them out of respect for those who were killed.
A police spokesperson in British Columbia said forces across the province were told of the possibility of "documentation or some type of manifesto" calling for police to be targeted with violence.
Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton with the Surrey Police Service said the warning was issued by an intelligence unit operating out of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police British Columbia headquarters Monday afternoon, after the "tragic events" in Montreal.
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