The shooting in Montreal that left three people dead – a police officer, a civilian, and the lone suspect – was not an act of terrorism, according to Quebec’s public security minister.
The Monday morning shooting in the Côte-des-Neiges borough triggered an active shooter alert and shelter-in-place order that lasted several hours.
A second police officer was critically injured and later upgraded to stable condition. A civilian sustained minor injuries.
Police say the suspect was killed early in the operation during a confrontation with officers.
Monday evening, SPVM confirmed the officer who was killed was 34-year-old Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, who had been on the force since 2021.
C’est avec une profonde tristesse que nous confirmons le décès tragique de l’agent Benredouane dans l’exercice de ses fonctions en protégeant la population. Le drame est survenu aujourd’hui lors d’une intervention dans le secteur de CDN.
Détails ➡️ https://t.co/G972ZKywtG pic.twitter.com/dmyem9cDSd
— Police Montréal (@SPVM) June 23, 2026
Public Security Minister Ian Lafrenière says multiple police forces were deployed and gathered intelligence throughout the day and determined “it was not considered as a possible terrorism attack.”
Earlier, the shooting deaths of an officer and civilian were described as “one of the worst nightmares” by Montreal police (SPVM) Chief Fady Dagher.
Benredouane’s death marked the first police officer killed in the line of duty in Montreal since 2002.
“He was a great, great police officer. He was so passionate,” said Dagher, who described the conversation with the officer’s brother as “very tough.”
Police did not provide any information about the civilian who died, nor who had shot them, with Lafrenière later addressing rumours about their death.
“There has been some information stating that the civilian was shot by police,” Lafrenière acknowledged. “This is not the kind of information we can share at this moment.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), however, confirmed that Michael (Michel) Moshe Mizrahi was killed during the shooting.
In a post to social media, the CIJA said Mizrahi was “a beloved member of Montreal’s Jewish community, an innocent victim of today’s events.”
The public security minister repeatedly indicated the investigation by Quebec’s police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), will shed more light on the shooting.
The flag at Quebec City’s National Assembly and Montreal City Hall will be lowered to half-mast, Quebec’s premier and Montreal’s mayor indicated at the same Monday evening press conference.
Officers were called to the multicultural borough of Côte-des-Neiges around 11:35 a.m. after the report — called in by a citizen — of a gun muzzle sticking out of the window of the Hilton Hotel near Trans Island and De Courtrai avenues.
Dagher says the officers who arrived on scene were shot at while they were at street level.
“It was a 911 call from a citizen telling us that somebody was shooting from a specific place, and at that moment when police came, that person wasn’t on the specific floors, he was already on the ground floor. Then the crossfire started.”
Broken windows could be seen at the Hilton Hotel — what’s believed to be the location of the first shots.
Lafrenière would not say if the shooter himself contacted 911, again pointing to the BEI as the future source of any specific questions regarding the investigation.
Police Chief Dagher would not describe the shooting as a police ambush, saying it was too early in the investigation.
“We’re investigating to know about his motives,” said Dagher, who also would not confirm to CityNews the suspect was wearing army camouflage clothing, as could be seen in multiple images and videos shared to social media.
“I don’t think it was police target. But maybe. We’ll see what the investigation will tell us,” he said.
The SPVM police chief described the suspect’s weapon as a long-range firearm.
“Let’s be extremely careful about rumours,” said Dagher. “Let’s be extremely careful about social media. What I can tell people, it’s that the threat has been neutralized.”
A police spokesperson in British Columbia says forces across the province were later warned of the possibility of an anti-police manifesto.
Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton with the Surrey Police Service says the information was issued by an intelligence unit operating out of the RCMP B.C. headquarters Monday afternoon.
“Following the tragic events of what happened in Montreal earlier today, police in British Columbia were advised that there is the possibility of either documentation or some type of manifesto that is rumoured to be out there calling on individuals to target and commit violence against police officers,” he said.
‘Hiding and fighting,’ witness says
A witness told CityNews he heard multiple gunshots and people firing between two buildings.
“We heard four or five gunshots, then silent, then 10-15 minutes later, we hear many more gunshots and we see all the cops coming in. So, we were just watching it and it went down,” said Jacob Coutu, who was working construction near where the shooting took place.
“I saw the gunfight and we see the police going down. We see the gunman, the hostile gunman coming down, hiding and fighting. You know, he recharges it. He had like a rifle or something. He recharges it and yeah, it was pretty crazy.”
Tanner Burell, another witness, said police showed up very soon after he heard initial gunshots.
“From our vantage point, we got to see the police hiding behind a pillar (and) we saw one of them get hit,” Burell recalled. “And then we saw what looked like maybe the gunman coming around that pillar, and then that person also got hit.
“There was a couple more gunshots. We heard the glass break from the windows.”
Shoppers at the nearby Supermarché PA grocery store, near De Courtrai Avenue and Décarie Boulevard, were asked to take cover in a freezer, according to a person shopping at the time.
Alert sent after suspect killed
An emergency alert went out around 12:35 p.m. to Montrealers’ cellphones about an armed and dangerous suspect, urging them to stay indoors and away from windows.
“We’re asking everyone to avoid the sector. The situation is not under control,” SPVM spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant said as the situation was developing.
Dagher later clarified the alert went out when the suspect was already dead.
“We wanted to make sure the whole population knew about it and to avoid a certain area. That’s why we did it right away,” Dagher told reporters.
‘Such acts have no place in our society’
Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said she was profoundly shocked and saddened by the events in Montreal.
“I would like to extend my most sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives doing their duty,” Fréchette told the press conference. “My thoughts are also with those who were injured, the members of our police services, and all those affected directly or indirectly by this tragedy.
“The Government of Quebec is offering its full cooperation to the responsible authorities and will remain present to support the victims, their loved ones and the affected community.
The Quebec premier said psychological support services are being offered to anyone who needs it, including members of the public who can access them by dialing 811.
“Such acts have no place in our society,” she wrote on X earlier in the day.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada offered her condolences to the police officer’s family members and loved ones.
“The entire SPVM family is grieving today,” she said. “These are incredibly difficult moments, and I want to acknowledge the courage, the professionalism and the composure shown by the SPVM officers who responded under extremely dangerous circumstance in order to protect the public.”
Both Premier Fréchette and Mayor Martinez Ferrada assured members of the public Montreal remains a safe city.
“I’m horrified to learn that a police officer and a civilian have been killed and others injured in a shooting in Montréal today,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement.
“My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, the first responders, and the entire community of Côte‑des‑Neiges. My gratitude is with our courageous police officers whose heroic dedication protects our communities.”
Quebec’s Transport Department closed sections of the Décarie Expressway and other parts of the highway network in the central part of the city due to the police operation.
Officials also closed the Namur metro station in the area. The STM said service on its orange and blue metro lines were interrupted at the time.
–With files from Manoj Subramaniam and Gareth Madoc-Jones
Add CityNews Toronto as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.
