One police officer killed in Montreal shooting, suspect also dead

A Montreal police officer was killed and a suspect died after an armed confrontation in Côte-des-Neiges sent residents, hotel guests and officers scrambling for cover. Police said the violence began after a 911 call about a person with a gun at the Hilton hotel near Trans Island and De Courtrai avenues, close to Décarie Boulevard and Namur metro station.

The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal said the first call came at about 11:35 a.m. Monday. Officers arrived to find a suspect carrying a long gun, and the encounter quickly turned deadly. One officer was killed, a second officer was seriously injured and later stabilized in hospital, and a civilian also died. Police said another civilian suffered minor injuries.

Police chief Fady Dagher said the suspect was killed during a confrontation with officers. He said investigators did not believe there was a second suspect, and urged the public not to speculate while the scene was being secured and the investigation continued. Dagher also said the officer who died was the first Montreal police officer killed in the line of duty in 24 years, with the last such death in 2002.

An emergency alert sent during the operation told residents to stay indoors and away from windows as officers moved through the area. Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots, and guests at the nearby Hilton Garden Inn were reportedly asked to take cover. Police later lifted the alert at about 3:15 p.m., saying the immediate threat to the public was no longer present and that the community was safe.

Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said she was deeply shaken by the shooting and offered condolences to the families of the dead, the injured victims, police officers and everyone affected. Dagher said the investigation would later be transferred to Quebec’s police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, once the scene was secure.

The shooting marked a rare and jolting loss for Montreal police, where officer deaths in the line of duty are uncommon. It also put the city’s emergency response system under a harsh spotlight, with an hours-long alert, a major police deployment and a rapid shift from a reported gun threat to a dead suspect, an injured officer and a neighborhood told it could finally come out from behind closed doors.