Montreal Officer Killed in Shootout, City on Alert

A Montreal police officer lost their life during a shootout on Monday. Residents were advised to stay indoors for nearly three hours as authorities sought a suspect.

One gunman died at the scene. The police searched for a second suspect but later confirmed there was only one involved. “The immediate threat to the public is no longer present,” stated Montreal Police Chief Fady Dagher. “Shelter-in-place is no longer required.”

The incident occurred in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, close to a high-rise with commercial units on its ground floor, including a grocery store and a restaurant. Chief Dagher explained that officers responded to reports of a firearm spotted pointing from a hotel window. Upon arrival, officers were fired upon, leading to a gunfight.

The exchange resulted in one officer’s death and injuries to another officer and a civilian. “Today, one of ours has fallen in the line of duty,” Chief Dagher said during an afternoon news conference. It had been 24 years since a police officer was last killed in the city.

The province of Quebec issued an emergency alert shortly after 12:30 p.m., warning of an armed suspect and advising residents to lock doors and stay away from windows.

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada expressed condolences, writing to the family, friends, and colleagues of the fallen officer through social media.

Mordy Aisenstark, a pizza restaurant manager nearby, heard the “cracks from the gunshots” around 11:30 a.m. He and his employees escaped through the back of the restaurant. Later, he saw what he believed to be the shooter, dressed in camouflage, lying dead beside a firearm. After police arrived, restaurant employees were directed to a bathroom to shelter in place.

Ian Lafrenière, Quebec’s minister of domestic security, told reporters at a news conference that all available police resources were focused on the investigation. He noted, “For now, we don’t really know what the motive of this individual was.”