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The man suspected of carrying out Monday’s fatal shooting in Montreal is dead, and authorities have released little information about him beyond his identity.
Quebec’s coroner’s office has identified the suspect as Seth Scott Hatfield, 25, of Lethbridge, Alta., but investigators have so far declined to discuss a possible motive or explain why he travelled to Montreal.
Monday’s shooting left Montreal police officer Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane dead. Michel Mizrahi, a civilian, was also killed during the incident in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood. Another police officer was left with serious injuries.
The two victims are being remembered for their deep ties to the neighbourhood as well as how they each served their respective communities.
WATCH | Details emerge about alleged shooter:
More details emerging from fatal Montreal shooting — including suspect identity
Quebec’s coroner’s office identified the shooting suspect as 25-year-old Seth Scott Hatfield from Lethbridge, Alta. Quebec’s police watchdog is investigating the shooting, with support from Lethbridge police. Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, and civilian Michel Mizrahi were killed in the city’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood Monday.
Here’s what we know about the suspected shooter so far.
Hatfield left behind a violent incel (involuntary celibate) manifesto targeting women. The manifesto criticizes, among other things, capitalism, zionism, liberalism and online pornography, and suggests targeting pornography companies.
A digital trail left by the 25-year-old man reveals he posted disturbing imagery, followed conspiracy theorists online and created the manifesto two weeks before the attack, CBC has found.
The manifesto featured a blend of incel beliefs with Marxist ideology, according to Katherine Keneally, director of threat analysis and prevention at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, an international think-tank dedicated to studying authoritarianism, hate and extremism.
“Written in a more academic fashion than we typically see in manifestos, the author espoused anti-pornography views and described men as an oppressed class who are being exploited by both capitalism and women,” she said.
The University of Lethbridge has confirmed that the shooter was a student at the school.
In a statement, the university condemned the violence and said it is co-operating “fully with appropriate authorities” and would not comment further due to the ongoing investigation.
“The university also strongly condemns the views and ideologies that have been attributed to the shooter in media reports,” the statement says.
This image was obtained by Radio-Canada, showing the suspect who appears to be on the move and holding a weapon. (Name withheld)
Police in Lethbridge released a short statement Tuesday saying they are assisting Quebec authorities in their investigation.
The Lethbridge Police Service, in the southern part of Alberta, also conducted a high-risk search in a residential neighbourhood Tuesday. Several nearby homes were evacuated due to the possible presence of firearms in the targeted building.
In a later statement published on Facebook, the police service offered condolences to those killed and injured in the incident.
“We understand many members of our community are deeply troubled by the fact the subject is from Lethbridge and there are many unanswered questions,” the statement says. “We recognize the public is looking for answers and appreciate the concern this incident has raised both locally and across the country.”
But for now, the police service says, no further comments will be made.
Numerous videos of Monday’s shooting circulated online in the aftermath, along with a flood of theories and rumours on social media, but little information has been released by officials.
Some local media have reported that the suspect targeted that particular area of the city because of its proximity to the offices of Montreal-based Aylo, formerly MindGeek, which operates several pornography-sharing websites.
WATCH | Suspect distributed manifesto:
Montreal shooting suspect distributed incel manifesto targeting women | Hanomansing Tonight
Montreal police say one officer is dead and another is in critical condition following a shooting in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood. Radio-Canada was able to confirm that the suspect in the shooting distributed a violent incel (involuntary celibate) manifesto targeting women.
In a statement published on Tuesday, Aylo said it “will not speculate on motive or share unconfirmed information” as the investigation is ongoing. It also shared its condolences to the families of Benredouane and Mizrahi as well as Montreal police.
“Though our city was struck by tragedy, we want to express gratitude to the first responders who bravely protected us and ensured that none of our employees were physically harmed by yesterday’s events,” the statement reads.
Quebec’s Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière called the shooting a “domestic case,” and said it is not related to terrorism.
Quebec’s police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), was assigned to investigate.
During a news conference Tuesday, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada called for stricter gun control, saying firearms have no place in the city. She also spoke about the effect the shooting has had on Montreal.
She said such an event hurts the city’s sense of safety, and it will take time to recover.
“But, again, I want to reassure Montrealers that Montreal is safe,” said Martinez Ferrada.