Montreal officer killed in hotel shooting, police say
Police said a gunman opened fire at a Montreal hotel, killing an officer and a civilian before officers shot the suspect dead.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
A Montreal police officer was killed Monday after a gunman opened fire at a hotel in the city’s Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, police said. The shooting also left a civilian dead, seriously injured another officer and prompted emergency alerts and transit disruptions in one of Canada’s largest cities.
Police Chief Fady Dagher said officers were called around 11:35 a.m. to the Hilton hotel after a report that someone was pointing a gun out of a window. When police reached the area, Dagher said, they came under fire from a suspect armed with a long gun.
Officers returned fire and killed the suspect, police said. Dagher said investigators had not yet determined who fired the shot that killed the civilian.
The officer who died was identified by police as Constable Mohamed Lamine Benredouan, 34. Dagher said Benredouan had served with the Montreal police force since 2021.
A second officer was seriously hurt but was in stable condition, according to Dagher. He told reporters it was the first time in 24 years that a Montreal police officer had died while on duty.
Emergency alert and transit shutdowns
Public safety officials warned residents about an armed and dangerous person in the area and told them to shelter in place. The alert led authorities to temporarily close parts of the Décarie expressway and shut down substantial sections of two subway lines.
Dagher said police were still working to establish a motive. He also said video showed the shooter outside the hotel at some point, after the initial call about a gun at a window.
Videos shared on social media appeared to show a person carrying a long gun while wearing an olive-colored jacket and cargo pants, according to the Associated Press. The footage appeared to show an exchange of gunfire with police, including a civilian and at least one officer being hit, and the person in olive clothing being shot while handling the weapon.
Jacob Coutu, a construction worker near the scene, told the Associated Press that he first heard four or five shots Monday morning. He said police then arrived in large numbers and more gunfire followed, estimating that he heard 30 or 40 shots in all.
Watchdog investigation opened
Quebec Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière said he would not discuss details about the suspect’s identity or possible motive because an independent police watchdog is investigating. The watchdog handles cases involving deaths or injuries connected to police actions.
Lafrenière said several agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, were consulted before officials concluded the attack was not terrorism. A former Montreal police officer, he also asked people not to circulate videos of the shooting out of respect for those who died.
In British Columbia, Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the Surrey Police Service said police forces in the province were alerted to the possibility of documentation or a manifesto calling for violence against police. Houghton said the warning came Monday afternoon from an intelligence unit based at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s British Columbia headquarters after the events in Montreal.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.