Quebec premier, officials speak after police officer and civilian killed in Montreal shooting

quebec city premiere speaks after law ship's officer, suspect and civilian killed in shooting

Lockdown lifted, police officer among 3 dead after Montreal shooting

Police say 3 dead including officer after shooting in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood

Our colleagues at Radio-Canada obtained this photo showing the suspect. You can see he appears to be holding a gun, and it looks like a long weapon. 

He also looks like he’s on the move. It's unclear at what point of the day this footage was taken.

The shooter has been linked to the misogynistic "incel" (involuntary celibate) subculture.

Members of the group commonly express exasperation over their inability to find a romantic or sexual partner, sometimes blaming women. 

Radio-Canada was able to confirm that the shooter distributed a violent incel manifesto targeting women. The manifesto called for a violent revolution, invoking masculinist arguments. 

Domestic Security Minister Lafrenière said that the shooting marks a "tough moment" for Montrealers and Quebecers.

He noted that videos circulating online show officers being fired at and urged the public not to become desensitized and not to share them.

He also took a moment to highlight the shooting victims, including the officer who made "the ultimate sacrifice." 

"He has fallen but will not be forgotten," Lafrenière said. 

Premier Fréchette reiterated that she is "deeply shocked and saddened" by the shooting. Beyond extending her condolences to families of the victims, she said she has asked for the Quebec flag to fly at half-mast. 

She noted that Santé Québec (the provincial agency overseeing the public health-care system) will be offering psychological support to teams that need it. Citizens can seek assistance by calling 811.

Mayor Martinez Ferrada said the City of Montreal would also fly its flag at half-mast. 

The third news conference of the day is about to begin. Officials are onstage.

Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada and other elected officials are expected to hold a news conference at 5:15 p.m. ET to provide an update on the situation.

Fréchette was supposed to make an announcement earlier this afternoon in Kahnawà:ke, southwest of Montreal, alongside Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière. 

We will be livestreaming the announcement on this page.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement that he is "horrified" to learn about the police officer and the civilian who were killed, as well as the people who were injured.

"My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, the first responders, and the entire community of Côte‑des‑Neiges," he said. "My gratitude is with our courageous police officers whose heroic dedication protects our communities."

A resident of the nearby Westbury condo complex says gunfire erupted shortly after 11:15 a.m. ET, triggering panic in the normally quiet, family-oriented neighbourhood of Côte-des-Neiges.

Brandon Benchimel-Elkaim says the first shots were quickly followed by families running for safety in a central park area inside the complex.

“I saw parents ripping their kids off of the play structure. They were running for their life,” he said.

Benchimel-Elkaim says a second round of gunfire followed shortly after, which he describes as sounding “much closer,” before a large police response moved in.

“The police presence just swarmed and it didn’t stop swarming for half an hour,” he said, adding that officers, helicopters and canine units all arrived in rapid succession.

He added that seeing the scale of the response outside his home was deeply unsettling.

The Montreal Metro's Orange and Blue lines are running smoothly again, according to the city's transit agency. 

The Décarie Expressway is in the process of reopening in both directions between the Turcot and Décarie interchanges.

The area bordered by Côte-des-Neiges, MacDonald Avenue, Highway 40 and Queen Mary Road remains closed to traffic because the investigation is ongoing.

Dagher said police were called after a witness saw a "gun sticking out of a window" and heard shots fired. 

He confirmed that a civilian was mildly injured in the shooting in addition to the two fatalities and the severely injured police officer who is reportedly in stable condition. 

I am standing on the corner of Plamondon Avenue and Décarie Boulevard, down the street from where the shots were fired this morning.

I took this photo from afar. Not the best quality, but you get a sense of the police presence.

Décarie remains closed, with police cars and ambulances lining the boulevard. Most emergency vehicles appear to be congregated around the corner of Vézina Street and Décarie.

---

---