Montreal shooting leaves officer, civilian and suspect dead

A midday shooting in the Canadian city of Montreal left a police officer, a civilian and the armed assailant dead on Monday.

The unidentified male suspect, who is believed to have acted alone, was shot and killed right away, the city’s police chief said. One other police officer was severely injured and was reportedly in stable condition.

The attack unfolded in a diverse part of the city, Côte-des-Neiges. A witness saw a “gun sticking out of a window”, heard shots and called police, investigators said.

Quebec’s security minister said the motive was unclear.

After the attack, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) sent an alert to other police forces in Canada, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported. The bulletin is said to have warned about a document that had been circulating which allegedly encouraged citizens to shoot police officers.

Speaking to the AFP news agency, local resident Danny Wilk said he was near his home when he heard shots fired.

“I tried to take shelter in the nearby pizzeria, and that’s when I saw the shooter, who looked ready to fire his weapon, dressed in military clothing,” Wilk said.

The resident said he had seen the officer on the ground after being shot, before the attacker was himself shot by police.

Monday’s incident marked the first time a Montreal police officer had been killed in the line of duty in nearly a quarter of a century.

Becoming emotional during a press conference, Montreal Police Chief Fady Dagher told reporters: “It’s a nightmare.”

The police department later named the officer who was killed as Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34. He had been part of the force since 2021.