Montreal police announced on Monday that three people were dead after a shooting incident in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood. The fatalities included a police officer, the suspect and a civilian.
When law enforcement responded to an active shooting situation the police officer was reported as injured, and residents were told to remain indoors as officers searched for an armed suspect.
A female police officer who was in critical condition is now stable. The police reported a weapon used by the suspect has been seized.
The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal issued an imminent-threat alert around 11:30 a.m. local time, warning that an armed and dangerous person was believed to be in the Côte-des-Neiges sector. Police told people in the area to avoid the streets, lock their doors, and stay away from windows while the operation continued.
“We are asking everyone to avoid the sector. The situation is not under control,” Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant said.
Early reports placed the police response near Jewish institutions in Côte-des-Neiges, a diverse west-central Montreal neighborhood with a sizable Jewish population and several Jewish schools, synagogues, and community buildings. Authorities had not announced a motive or said whether the incident was connected to the Jewish community.
Local and international outlets initially reported uncertainty about the number of casualties and the circumstances of the shooting. Police had not immediately released details about the suspect, the nature of the officer’s injuries, or whether any civilians had been wounded.
The incident comes after several security scares involving Jewish institutions in Montreal since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. Jewish schools in the city were struck by gunfire in separate incidents in 2023 and 2024, prompting increased concern among Jewish community organizations and local officials. No connection between those earlier cases and Monday’s police operation had been reported.
Côte-des-Neiges is one of Montreal’s most densely populated and ethnically varied areas, home to students, immigrants, religious communities, and major institutions. A police alert in such a neighborhood carries immediate public-safety concerns, especially when issued during daylight hours.
As of the latest reports, police were asking the public to avoid the area and allow officers to continue their operation.
