Montreal Shooting leaves civilian and cop dead: What do we know about victims and the suspect?

Montreal Shooting: Three people, including a civilian and a police officer, lost their lives while another female officer sustained injuries after a midday shooting occurred in Montreal on Monday (June 22, 2026), sending shockwaves across the city. The alleged gunman was also killed in the fatal incident, which unfolded in a partly Jewish neighbourhood that includes kosher markets and restaurants. The injuries of the female officer were not life-threatening.

Montreal police issued an emergency alert warning residents about an “armed and dangerous suspect” in the area. The alert also urged people to shelter indoors, lock their doors, and stay away from windows.

In an update on X, police confirmed the suspect was “neutralized” after two officers and a civilian sustained injuries. Police later confirmed that one officer, one civilian, and the suspect had died. “It is with immense sadness that we confirm the death of one of our police officers in the line of duty,” the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) said in a statement.

What do we know about victims and the suspect?

According to the Montreal Gazette and The Canadian Press, the officer killed in the shootout was identified as Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34. He had been with the force since 2021. The civilian who was shot dead has been identified as Michael Mizrahi, 68, a member of Montreal’s Jewish community who sold suits for a living and was remembered as “generous,” according to The Gazette.

The gunman was reportedly connected to "incel" ideology, news agency AFP reported, citing French-language public broadcaster Radio Canada. Police had not revealed the shooter's motive at the time of filing this report.

“Incel,” short for “involuntarily celibate,” refers to an online misogynistic ideology largely associated with heterosexual men who become radicalized over their perceived inability to find women willing to be their romantic or sexual partners. The worldview gained widespread attention in Canada after it was linked to the man responsible for the 2018 Toronto vehicle-ramming attack, which killed 10 people at the time and became one of the country’s deadliest mass killings.

Montreal police chief issues statement

While speaking to the Montreal Gazette, Mordy Aisenstark, the manager of nearby kosher restaurant Broadway Pizza, said that he was refilling a coffee machine when he heard the first gunshots. Moments later, a man rushed into the restaurant seeking cover as a gunman in camouflage-style clothing

Montreal police chief Fady Dagher said Monday's incident was "a tragedy, a nightmare." Dagher said police received a call about an active shooting in Montreal's Cote-des-Neiges neighbourhood at around 11:30 am (1530 GMT). Police responded, and a shootout ensued, with the assailant firing from inside a building with a long gun, Dagher told reporters at the scene. Frank Vogas told AFP he was buying paint at a shop in the area when the gunfire erupted.

"I see the police storm in, come in from everywhere, and, they raise their guns," the 71-year-old said, explaining that officers told people in the shop to keep low to the floor. Dagher confirmed that one male officer, later identified as Mohamed Lamine Benredoune, was shot dead.

Dagher also confirmed the gunman was dressed in what appeared to be military-style clothing. He stressed the investigation had not yet produced any indications as to motive. "It's important to be very careful of rumours," he said.