Two people, including a police officer, were killed Monday in a shooting in Montreal, police in the Canadian city said. The gunman was also killed.
There was no immediate word on the motive of the attack, which took place in an area of the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood that has kosher restaurants and supermarkets frequented by Montreal’s large Jewish community. The area includes a supermarket, shops and a residential building.
“It is with immense sadness that we confirm the death of one of our police officers in the line of duty,” Montreal police said in a statement posted on X. Police separately announced that a civilian and the suspect had been killed, while also urging residents to avoid the area.
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Police said the incident began around 11:30 a.m. ET. Police swarmed the apparent scene of the shooting and a police helicopter flew overhead.
Fady Dagher, chief of the Montreal Police Service, told reporters he didn’t know the identity of the civilian who was killed or if they were Jewish. Dagher also could not confirm who killed the civilian. Dagher said the suspect was “shot right away. But the other person, I don’t have the details yet.”
Public broadcaster Radio Canada said another officer was seriously wounded. “We are all behind her,” Dagher said of the injured officer during a Monday afternoon news conference.
The officer who was killed was not immediately identified, but Dagher said he was a “great, great, great police officer” who was “very passionate.”
“It’s a very, very sad day. It’s a nightmare,” Dagher said, adding this was the first time SPVM, the Montreal police agency, had lost an officer in the line of duty since 2002.
Dagher said there was no ongoing threat and the community was safe. He said he didn’t have details on the possibility that the shooter or someone else called 911 to lure police officers into an ambush.
“I don’t think it was police target, but maybe we’ll see what the investigation would tell us,” he said.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), a prominent Canadian civil society group, said it was “closely monitoring the situation.”
“As we await more details about the nature of this horrifying incident, we urge community members to exercise vigilance,” CIJA said.
Quebec Premier Christine Frechette said she was “deeply shaken by the tragic events.”
“It is essential to allow the authorities to do their work and to avoid speculation,” Frechette added.
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