It's a very, very sad day. It's a nightmare.
On a Monday morning in Montreal, a gunman opened fire at a Hilton hotel in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, ending three lives — including that of a young police officer five years into his service — and shattering a 24-year period in which the city's police force had not lost one of its own to gunfire. The event arrived without clear motive, leaving investigators, officials, and a shaken public to sit with the weight of sudden violence and the questions it refuses to answer quickly. In moments like these, a city is reminded that the ordinary hours of an ordinary morning can be irreversibly altered, and that the people who walk toward danger carry a cost the rest of us rarely see until it is too late.
- A gunman opened fire on arriving officers at a Montreal hotel, killing Constable Mohamed Lamine Benredouan — only 34 years old and five years on the force — in the first officer death by gunfire in the city in 24 years.
- A civilian also died in the exchange, and a second officer sustained serious injuries, while the shooter himself was killed by return fire — leaving three dead and the question of who fired the fatal civilian shot unanswered.
- Witnesses described 30 to 40 gunshots ringing through a populated neighbourhood, sending civilians to the floor of nearby shops and transforming a busy Montreal street into a locked-down crime scene within minutes.
- Authorities moved swiftly to rule out terrorism after consulting the RCMP and other agencies, yet unease lingered as police forces across British Columbia were warned of a possible manifesto calling for violence against officers — its connection to the Montreal shooting unconfirmed.
- Quebec's premier, the prime minister, and the police chief all spoke publicly of shock and grief, while investigators from an independent watchdog began the work of determining what drove a person to walk into a hotel with a long gun on a Monday morning.
On a Monday morning in June, a gunman entered the Hilton hotel in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood and opened fire. Three people died: a police officer, a civilian, and the shooter himself. A second officer was seriously injured but survived. It was the first time in 24 years that the Montreal Police Service had lost an officer to gunfire in the line of duty.
Constable Mohamed Lamine Benredouan, 34, had served five years on the force. He was among the first to respond after emergency services received a call around 11:35 a.m. reporting someone pointing a gun from a hotel window. Officers were met with gunfire upon arrival. Video captured the shooter — dressed in an olive jacket and cargo pants, carrying a long gun — firing at police before being struck and killed by return fire. The identity of the civilian who died, and who fired the shot that killed them, remained unconfirmed.
Witnesses described the violence as sudden and overwhelming. A nearby construction worker estimated 30 to 40 shots. A 71-year-old in a paint shop watched officers storm in with weapons drawn. A resident took shelter in a pizzeria and saw the shooter — dressed in what he described as military clothing — before the officer fell and police brought the gunman down. The neighbourhood, home to kosher markets and a significant Jewish population, was locked down before gradually reopening by afternoon.
Authorities ruled out terrorism after consulting the RCMP and other agencies. Yet questions lingered: police forces across British Columbia had been warned Monday afternoon of a possible manifesto calling for violence against officers, issued after the Montreal shooting by an RCMP intelligence unit. Whether it was connected to the Hilton incident remained unclear. Quebec Premier Christine Frechette urged the public to avoid speculation. Prime Minister Mark Carney called himself horrified. Police chief Fady Dagher, his voice heavy, told reporters: "It's a very, very sad day. It's a nightmare."
On a Monday morning in June, a gunman walked into the Hilton hotel in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood and opened fire. By the time the shooting ended, three people were dead: a police officer, a civilian, and the shooter himself. A second officer lay seriously wounded but stable. It was the first time in 24 years that the Montreal Police Service had lost an officer to gunfire in the line of duty.
Constable Mohamed Lamine Benredouan, 34, had been on the force for five years. He was among the first officers to arrive after someone called emergency services around 11:35 a.m. to report a person pointing a gun out of a hotel window. When police reached the scene, they were met with gunfire. Video footage captured the exchange: a figure in an olive-coloured jacket and cargo pants, carrying a long gun, firing at officers. The shooter appeared to be adjusting or reloading when he was struck and killed by return fire.
The identity of the civilian who died remains unclear, as does the question of who fired the shot that killed them. Police chief Fady Dagher acknowledged the uncertainty but offered no further details. A second officer sustained serious injuries but survived. "It's a very, very sad day. It's a nightmare," Dagher told reporters, his voice carrying the weight of an event that had shattered two decades of relative safety for his department.
Witnesses described a scene of sudden, overwhelming violence. Jacob Coutu, working in construction nearby, heard what he estimated as 30 to 40 gunshots over the course of the incident. He watched as police arrived in force and engaged in a gunfight on the street. Frank Vogas, a 71-year-old buying paint at a nearby shop, saw officers storm in with weapons drawn, ordering civilians to lie flat on the floor. Danny Wilk, a resident, heard the first shot, then several more in rapid succession. He took shelter in a pizzeria and witnessed the shooter—dressed in what he described as military clothing—before the officer fell dead and police brought the gunman down.
The Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, which includes kosher markets and restaurants and has a significant Jewish population, became a locked-down crime scene. Police declined to comment on whether the location or community held any significance to the shooter's motive. By afternoon, the area was being reopened and traffic was resuming, though the neighbourhood remained marked by what had happened there.
Authorities moved quickly to rule out terrorism. The Quebec domestic security minister, Ian Lafrenière, confirmed that multiple agencies—including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police—were consulted before investigators concluded the shooting was not a terrorist attack. Yet the timing raised questions. A police spokesperson in British Columbia revealed that forces across the province had been warned on Monday afternoon of possible "documentation or some type of manifesto" calling for violence against police. The warning came from an RCMP intelligence unit operating out of British Columbia headquarters, issued after the Montreal shooting. Whether this manifesto was connected to the Hilton incident remained unclear.
Quebec Premier Christine Frechette said she was "deeply shaken" by the events and urged the public to avoid speculation about what had transpired. Prime Minister Mark Carney called himself "horrified" by the violence. Lafrenière, citing the ongoing investigation by an independent police watchdog, declined to release details about the suspect's identity or motives. The investigation would determine what drove a person to walk into a hotel with a long gun and open fire on police officers on a Monday morning in June.
Notable Quotes
It's a very, very sad day. It's a nightmare.— Police Chief Fady Dagher
We saw cops getting in a gunfight, getting shot down.— Jacob Coutu, construction worker near the scene
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that this was the first officer death in 24 years?
Because it breaks a long period of relative safety. For a quarter-century, the Montreal Police Service had managed to avoid losing an officer to gunfire. That's not nothing. It means something shifted on that Monday.
The source mentions a manifesto calling for police violence. How connected is that to what happened at the Hilton?
That's the question no one can answer yet. The manifesto warning came after the shooting, circulated across Canadian forces. It might be connected, it might be coincidence. The authorities ruled out terrorism, but they're being careful about what they say.
A civilian died, but nobody knows who shot them. How does that happen?
In an exchange of gunfire between police and an armed suspect, the trajectory of bullets becomes impossible to trace in real time. The investigation will try to sort it out, but in those moments, it's chaos.
The neighbourhood is partly Jewish. Did that matter?
Police wouldn't say. They declined to comment on motive entirely. Whether the location was chosen deliberately or was simply where the shooter happened to be—that remains unknown.
What does a neighbourhood look like after something like this?
Locked down, then slowly reopened. Traffic resuming. People going back to their routines. But the memory stays. A Hilton hotel becomes the place where something terrible happened.