Live updates: Montreal police chief calls shooting a 'nightmare' after officer, civilian killed

constabulary say 3 deadened including ship's officer after shot in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood

Montreal police have now confirmed that three people have died: a suspect, a police officer and a civilian.  

It's been 24 years since a Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) police officer was killed in the line of duty, Dagher reminded reporters.

Benoît L'Ecuyer, 29, was fatally shot on Feb. 28, 2002, after chasing a speeding car. He was a seven-year veteran of the Montreal police force. 

The emergency alert issued earlier in connection with an armed and dangerous suspect in Côte-des-Neiges has now ended.

Authorities say the immediate threat to the public is no longer present, and the shelter-in-place order is no longer in effect. 

Speaking to reporters, Montreal police Chief Fady Dagher said the "immediate threat has been neutralized."

"The main suspect has been neutralized," Dagher said, noting that their motives are not yet known. 

Dagher said police were called to 6939 Décarie Boulevard (the Hilton Garden Inn). When they arrived, someone fired shots at them, he said. 

"It's a tragedy. It's a nightmare," Dagher said. 

A civilian and a male police officer died, Dagher said. A female police officer who was in critical condition is now stable. He noted that a weapon used by the suspect has been seized.

He added that his troops have all his admiration and that they do "extraordinary work" while putting their lives at risk. 

He confirmed that the operation is ongoing. 

Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said in a post on social media that she was "deeply shaken" by the shooting and that the provincial government would offer its full co-operation to the relevant authorities. 

"Such acts have no place here. We are monitoring the situation closely," Fréchette said. 

At a separate news event in Kahnawà:ke, southwest of Montreal, Quebec Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière said it is a "very sad moment." 

"We were supposed to do something very important today with the Mohawk community of  Kahnawà:ke… Unfortunately, reality has caught up with us," he said. 

"As a retired police officer, it affects me deeply," Lafrenière added.

He told reporters he would be joining Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette in Montreal and a crisis management cell has been launched. 

Lafrenière urged the public to stay away from the "crime scene" in Côte-des-Neiges during the police operation. 

For those of you who are not as familiar with Montreal, Côte-des-Neiges is a very busy part of town. It’s part of the most populous borough in the city: Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. Lots of residents and lots of businesses. So an operation like this one would be very startling to people in that area. There’s a busy northbound highway (Highway 15) near where this happened, so car traffic is a constant.

Montreal police have officially scheduled their news conference for 3 p.m. ET to provide an update on the shooting and the ongoing operation. 

We will be livestreaming it here.

Metro service between Côte-Vertu and Lionel-Groulx stations on the Orange line has been interrupted. A Société de transport de Montréal (Montreal transit agency) employee confirmed that the disruption is due to the police operation. 

Journalists on the scene are waiting for a police spokesperson to deliver the news conference announced nearly an hour ago. 

Montreal police have now confirmed that three people have died: a suspect, a police officer and a civilian.  

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