This morning at 11:30 a.m. local time in Montreal, police issued an imminent threat alert in response to an active shooter in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood—a predominantly Jewish area that is home to kosher restaurants, a Chabad center, Jewish schools, and community centers.
According to The Jerusalem Post, witnesses reported hearing 20 to 30 gunshots before the suspect was neutralized. The shooting resulted in the deaths of a local resident and a Montreal police officer.
A suspect has since been confirmed neutralized, and one policeman and one civilian were later confirmed to have died.
Videos from the scene showed two bodies on the floor. A gunman, seemingly Caucasian, can be seen facedown wearing camouflage, and a rifle (seemingly an SKS) is also visible on the floor nearby.
All Jewish businesses and schools in the area are on lockdown, another source told The Jerusalem Post.
According to local media, a suspect in the shooting prepared a manifesto before opening fire and sent it to various media outlets.
In a press conference, Chief of SPVM Fady Dagher, said “We have no information that there is another suspect.”
He confirmed the suspect was neutralized but that the investigation is still ongoing.
The civilian victim was identified as Rabbi Michael Moshe Mizrahi, a member of the local Chabad center. According to The Jerusalem Post, Rabbi Mizrahi was killed in the crossfire between police and the gunman.
Amid a shocking rise in anti-Semitism in Canada, The Fellowship and our supporters pray for the Mizrahi family and the family of the fallen officer – and for the Jewish residents of Côte-des-Neiges and Montreal.
