Gunman kills a Montreal officer at a Hilton hotel before being shot
dead, police say
[June 23, 2026]
MONTREAL (AP) — A suspect armed with a long gun opened
fire Monday at a Montreal hotel, killing a police officer before
officers returned fire, killing him, police said. A civilian also died
but it wasn't immediately clear who fired that shot.
Police Chief Fady Dagher said a second officer was seriously injured in
the shooting in the city’s Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood but is in stable
condition.
The chief said it was the first time in 24 years that a Montreal police
officer had been killed in the line of duty. “It’s a very, very sad day.
It’s a nightmare,” he told reporters.
Dagher said someone called emergency services around 11:35 a.m. about a
person who was sticking a gun out of a window at the Hilton hotel.
Police arrived at the scene and were targeted with gunfire, he said.
Video showed the shooter was also outside the hotel.
Police are still trying to determine the suspect’s motive.
Dagher said he didn’t know who shot the civilian.
Police identified the deceased officer as Constable Mohamed Lamine
Benredouan, 34. He had been with the force since 2021.
Videos posted on social media appear to show the exchange of gunfire
between police and a person carrying a long gun who was wearing an
olive-colored jacket and cargo pants.
The videos appear to show a civilian and at least one officer getting
shot, while the person in the olive-colored clothing appeared to get
shot while adjusting or reloading their weapon.
Jacob Coutu, who was working in construction near the shooting, said he
heard “four of five gunshots” on Monday morning. A few minutes later, he
said police officers started arriving at the scene in large numbers, and
he heard more gunfire.
“We saw cops getting in a gunfight, getting shot down,” Coutu said.
He estimates he heard 30 or 40 gunshots.
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People run out of a shopping center near the scene of a shooting in
Montreal on Monday, June 22, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The
Canadian Press via AP)
Public safety officials issued an emergency alert about an armed and
dangerous suspect in the area, asking residents to shelter in place.
The alert triggered temporary closures along a major highway, the
Décarie expressway, as well as a temporary shutdown of significant
sections of two subway lines.
Quebec Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière said he would
refrain from commenting on details about the suspect’s identity and
motives since the matter is now under investigation by an
independent police watchdog, which investigates injuries and deaths
involving police.
But he confirmed multiple agencies were consulted, including the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, before investigators concluded that
the shooting was not a terrorist attack.
Lafrenière, a former Montreal police officer, also acknowledged
that there are some videos circulating of the shooting and he urged
members of the public not to share them out of respect for those who
were killed.
A police spokesperson in British Columbia said forces across the
province were told of the possibility of “documentation or some type
of manifesto” calling for police to be targeted with violence.
Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton with the Surrey Police Service said the
warning was issued by an intelligence unit operating out of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police British Columbia headquarters Monday
afternoon, after the “tragic events” in Montreal.
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