The shooting unfolds at Hilton hotel
A suspect armed with a long gun opened fire Monday at a Montreal hotel in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, killing a police officer before officers returned fire and killed him. A civilian also died in the exchange, though police have not determined who fired the fatal shot at that person.
Someone called emergency services around 11:35 a.m. to report a person pointing a gun out of a window at the Hilton hotel. When police arrived, officers were immediately targeted with gunfire. Video footage showed the shooter positioned outside the hotel wearing an olive-colored jacket and cargo pants.
Jacob Coutu, a construction worker near the scene, heard four or five gunshots initially. Within minutes, police officers arrived in large numbers and the gunfire intensified. Coutu estimates he heard 30 to 40 gunshots total as officers and the suspect exchanged fire.
Officer identified as Mohamed Lamine Benredouan
Police identified the deceased officer as Constable Mohamed Lamine Benredouan, 34. He had been with the Montreal Police Service since 2021. Police Chief Fady Dagher described him as a "great, great, great police officer" who was "very passionate" about his work.
"It's a very, very sad day. It's a nightmare," Dagher told reporters at a Monday afternoon news conference.
A second officer was seriously injured in the shooting but remained in stable condition. Dagher said of the injured officer, "We are all behind her."
Civilian killed, motive unknown
The shooting occurred in a neighborhood that includes kosher restaurants and supermarkets frequented by Montreal's Jewish community, though Dagher could not confirm whether the civilian was Jewish.
Police are still trying to determine the suspect's motive. Dagher stressed the importance of caution regarding rumors about the incident. "It's important to be very careful of rumours," he said.
An independent police watchdog is now investigating the shooting. Quebec Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière said multiple agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, were consulted before investigators concluded the shooting was not a terrorist attack.
Emergency response and public alert
The shooting triggered an emergency alert asking residents to shelter in place. The alert caused temporary closures along the Décarie expressway and a temporary shutdown of significant sections of two subway lines.
A police spokesperson in British Columbia said forces across the province were warned Monday afternoon of the possibility of "documentation or some type of manifesto" calling for police to be targeted with violence, issued by an intelligence unit operating out of Royal Canadian Mounted Police British Columbia headquarters following the Montreal incident.
Lafrenière acknowledged that videos of the shooting are circulating and urged the public not to share them out of respect for those killed.
The sources also report that the shooting occurred in an area of Côte-des-Neiges that has kosher restaurants and supermarkets frequented by Montreal's large Jewish community.