A Montreal police officer and a civilian were killed in Côte-des-Neiges on Monday; police said the suspect also died and there was no ongoing threat.
A Montreal police officer and a civilian were killed Monday in a shooting in the city’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, and the suspected gunman was also killed, police said.
The officer was identified by Montreal police as Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, who had served with the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal since 2021. The civilian killed was identified by CBC/Radio-Canada as Michel Mizrahi.
Early accounts described two people killed, referring to the officer and civilian victims. Police also said the suspect died, bringing the number of deaths connected to the shooting to three.
Another officer was injured and was in stable condition, and a civilian sustained minor injuries, according to CBC. Montreal police Chief Fady Dagher said police had been called after a witness reported seeing a “gun sticking out of a window.”
The shooting began around 11:30 a.m. ET, according to police. It happened in an area of Côte-des-Neiges that includes kosher restaurants, supermarkets, shops and residences, CBS reported. Officials did not immediately identify a motive, and Dagher said he could not confirm details about the civilian victim’s background or who killed the civilian.
Dagher told reporters the suspect was shot “right away,” but said investigators were still working through what happened. He also said there was no ongoing threat and that the community was safe.
Montreal police said flags at the SPVM were lowered to half-mast in honour of Benredouane. “His death is a huge loss for our organization,” the force said in a statement cited by CBC. “His sense of duty, commitment and professionalism will forever stay in our memories.”
Dagher called Benredouane a “great, great, great police officer” and said the death marked the first time Montreal’s police service had lost an officer in the line of duty since 2002. “It’s a very, very sad day. It’s a nightmare,” he said.
Quebec’s Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière said the shooting remained a “domestic case” and was not related to terrorism. Quebec Premier Christine Frechette said she was deeply shaken and urged people to avoid speculation while authorities investigate.
Quebec’s police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, has been assigned to investigate the police intervention. CBC reported that 10 BEI investigators were assigned and that a parallel criminal investigation was given to the Sûreté du Québec.
The investigation is expected to focus on the sequence of gunfire, the circumstances of the police response and the deaths of the civilian and suspect. Officials also urged residents to avoid the area as the immediate police operation continued.
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