Updated June 22, 2026 @ 3:50pm
Three people are dead, including a police officer and a civilian, after a suspect started shooting at a hotel in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges district on Monday morning.
Police Chief Fady Dagher said a second officer was also seriously injured in the shooting but is in stable condition. He said the suspect, who was armed with a long gun, was killed, adding that police do not think there is a second suspect.
Dagher said someone called 911 around 11:35 a.m. about a person who was sticking a gun out from a window at the Hilton hotel. Police arrived at the scene and were targeted with gunfire, Dagher said.
"It's a very, very sad day. It's a nightmare," he told reporters, adding that it's been 24 years since a Montreal police officer has been killed in the line of duty.
Dagher said a second officer had serious injuries, and is now in stable condition. He added that police are still trying to determine the suspect's motive.
He also said he didn't know who had shot the civilian.
Jacob Coutu, who was working in construction near the shooting, said he heard “four of five gunshots” on Monday morning. A few minutes later, he said police officers started arriving at the scene in large numbers, and he heard more gunfire.
“We saw cops getting in a gunfight, getting shot down,” Coutu told The Canadian Press.
“I saw a cop go down, I saw the suspect go down,” said the worker, who estimates he heard 30 or 40 gunshots.
Public safety officials issued an emergency alert about an armed and dangerous suspect in the area. The alert, which was still in place as of 2:30 p.m. Monday, warns local residents to stay indoors and for people to avoid the area.
Fagher confirmed the suspect was dead before authorities issued the alert.
A massive police presence could be seen near the site of the shooting, which is in a multicultural neighbourhood with a mix of residential buildings and businesses.
A resident of a building near the shooting, who asked not to be identified because he feared for his safety, said he went to his balcony after hearing loud noises followed by screams.
‘’When I went to go look, I saw a police officer on the ground and another one heading to him,” he told The Canadian Press in a phone interview.
He said he saw a broken window at the Hilton hotel, “so I assumed the person started shooting from that room.’’
From afar, the witness watched several officers interact with a suspect and scream instructions, before more police arrived and asked residents to go inside and lock their doors.
‘’When I saw how bad the scene was, I told myself that it was maybe not a good idea for me to be standing on my balcony, so I went back inside and I called a friend, just to speak to someone,’’ he said.
For at least an hour, the resident said he stayed inside his apartment, following the news and trying to understand what was happening. He put a few pieces of furniture in front of his door and turned the lights off, he added.
Police later searched his room, and told him not to open the door to anyone who wasn’t a police officer, he said.
Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière, a former police officer, told reporters that he was in shock after news of the shooting. "Our thoughts are with the victims and families of the victims, and the big police family too," he said.
Quebec's Transport Department closed sections of the Décarie expressway and other parts of the highway network in the central part of the city due to the ongoing police operation.
Officials also closed significant sections of two metro lines.
Montreal's police chief is expected to address the shooting later Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2026.
