Officer among 2 killed in a Montreal shooting that sources say appeared to target police. Suspect is also dead
Police near the scene of a shooting in Montreal
By Danya Gainor, John Miller, CNN
(CNN) — A Montreal police officer was among two people killed Monday in what law enforcement sources believe was a targeted attack on police, marking the first time an officer has been shot in the city in more than two decades.
The shooting happened during the afternoon in the city’s most populous borough, Côte-des-Neiges, and ended after a shootout with the suspect, who was also killed.
Police are examining a so-called manifesto that runs over 100 pages they believe may have been written by the gunman. It reportedly espouses incel ideology, according to law enforcement sources.
The Montreal Police Service identified the fallen officer as Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, who had been a police officer with the department since 2021. Authorities have not yet identified the other victim or the suspect in Monday’s shooting.
A second officer was transported to the hospital in critical condition, but she is now stable, Montreal Police Chief Fady Dagher said at a news conference. One civilian sustained minor injuries, he said.
“It appeared to be an ambush,” a Canadian law enforcement source said.
Less than five miles from the skyscrapers and frenzied metropolis of downtown Montreal, Côte-des-Neiges is a quieter, modern residential bubble. The borough is diverse, with pockets defined deeply by Jewish culture, institutions and daily life.
That tranquil normalcy was shattered early in the afternoon as residents remained under hours-long orders to take shelter and lock their doors as authorities investigated an “armed and dangerous suspect.”
The last time a police officer was shot in Montreal was 24 years ago, said Ian Lafrenière, minister of public security of Quebec.
Montreal is the site of the worst school shooting in Canada’s history — known as the Montreal massacre — which occurred on December 6, 1989, when in a misogyny-fueled rampage, a gunman murdered 14 women at École Polytechnique while screaming “You are all feminists.”
Incel ideology has been linked to other mass killings in Canada, including the 2018 Toronto van attack, when a perpetrator who identified as an incel drove down a crowded sidewalk and deliberately killed 10 people.
In 2020, a teenage boy stabbed two female employees at a massage parlor, killing one, in what was later classified by a judge as an act of terrorism — the first incel-motivated crime to be designated as such in Canada.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “horrified to learn that a police officer and a civilian have been killed and others injured in a shooting in Montréal today.”
“My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, the first responders, and the entire community of Côte‑des‑Neiges,” Carney said in a post to X. “My gratitude is with our courageous police officers whose heroic dedication protects our communities.”
Suspect believed to have acted alone, police say
Police were responding to a 911 call of gunshots and a gun sticking out of a window around 11:35 a.m. on Décarie Boulevard when officers came under fire in the street, the chief said. Police believe the suspect acted alone.
A squad of law enforcement officers staged at the entrance of a building before one officer kicked through the glass door, making room for the group to get inside. Several other officers, armed with rifles and a K9 unit, followed close behind.
“Today, one of our own has fallen while carrying out his duty to protect and serve,” Dagher told reporters.
A long gun used by the suspect was seized at the scene, Dagher said, and police were actively working to secure the scene and search for any additional victims.
Police have asked the public to continue avoiding the area, but have since lifted the shelter-in-place order.
Heidi Doctor was taking a work call after dropping off her child for a haircut when an officer pulled up in front of her and pulled out their gun, she told CTV Network, a CNN newsgathering partner.
“All of a sudden cops come swarming,” Doctor said. Her other child had arrived to the hair salon just minutes before the mayhem began.
Doctor tried to stay in her parking spot, but she eventually had to get out of the way and pull onto a nearby side street, she told CTV Network. She waited for hours, communicating with her kids by phone, as they hid in the back of the salon.
Premier of Quebec Christine Fréchette said she’s asked the president of the National Assembly to lower the Quebec flag to half-mast.
“I would like to thank the police officers, first responders, emergency personnel, and all those working on the ground,” Fréchette said. “In the face of this ordeal, we will remain united, supportive, and determined to stand by all those affected.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Lex Harvey, Sarah Hutter and Taylor Romine contributed to this report.
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