Montreal police say two people, including a police officer, were killed in a gunfight with a suspect in the city’s most populous Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood on Monday afternoon.
Montreal Police Chief Fadi Dagher told a news conference that another police officer was taken to hospital in critical condition but is now stable. One civilian was killed and another was slightly injured.
Less than eight miles from the skyscrapers and frenetic metropolis of downtown Montreal, Côte-des-Neiges is a quiet, modern residential neighborhood. The borough is diverse, with areas deeply characterized by Jewish culture, institutions, and daily life.
That calm was shattered in the early afternoon as residents were ordered to evacuate and lock their doors for several hours as authorities searched for an “armed and dangerous suspect.”
Police were responding to a 911 call about gunshots and a gun sticking out of a window on Decary Boulevard around 11:35 a.m. when an officer was struck by gunfire in the street, the chief said. Police believe the suspect committed the crime alone.
“Today, one of our colleagues fell while performing his duty to protect and serve,” Dugger told reporters.
Duggar said the long gun used by the suspect was seized at the scene and police are actively working to secure the scene and search for additional victims.
Police urged the public to continue to avoid the area and those in secured areas to remain indoors “until further notice”.
“We are deeply disturbed by the tragic events that occurred today in the Côte-des-Neiges region,” Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said on Program X. “As the operation and investigation are still ongoing, it is important to let the authorities do their job and avoid any speculation.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Sarah Hatter contributed to this report.
