On June 22, 2026, a shootout in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood resulted in the deaths of a civilian, a police officer and the suspected shooter.
Here is everything we know about the event and its aftermath. This report will be updated as new details emerge.
The shootings
At 11:35 a.m. on Monday, June 22, Montreal police (SPVM) received a 911 call from a civilian reporting a gun sticking out of a window at the Hilton Garden Inn Montreal Midtown hotel on the corner of Décarie Blvd. and de Courtrai Ave.
By the time officers arrived, the gunman — later identified as 25-year-old Seth Scott Hatfield — was on the street level. Gunfire was exchanged between Hatfield and police outside the hotel, along de Courtrai.
Three people died as a result of the exchange: Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, who was shot by Hatfield, civilian Michael Mizrahi, and Hatfield himself. A second, female officer, who has not been formally identified, was critically injured in the shootout, but her condition later stabilized in a hospital.
The precise unfolding of the shootings has not yet been made public. Authorities have declined to comment on unconfirmed reports that Mizrahi was mistakenly killed by the surviving officer’s gunfire.
Quebec’s police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, is investigating.
Bullet holes were visible in the windows of the building across from the Hilton Hotel, which contains apartments as well as businesses, including the headquarters of Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub.
Bullets struck the windows of a building, which contains the Aylo headquarters, during shootings in Côte-des-Neiges on June 22, 2026. Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette
Witnesses recounted hearing dozens of gunshots, and some told The Gazette they saw Hatfield wearing military-style clothing and carrying a long gun.
The lockdown
An “armed threat” alert was issued for the Côte-des-Neiges area around 12:30 p.m. that day, advising people to shelter in place and stay away from windows.
Parts of the métro’s Orange and Blue lines were closed, and the Décarie Expressway was blocked in both directions between the Turcot and Décarie interchanges for much of the afternoon. Saint Joseph’s Oratory was also evacuated.
The Décarie Expressway was closed in both directions following shootings in Côte-des-Neiges on June 22, 2026. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette
Officers at the scene initially told reporters that they were searching for a possible second suspect, but SPVM Chief Fady Dagher later confirmed only one suspect was believed to be involved.
SPVM Chief Fady Dagher,speaks at a press conference on June 22, 2026, following shootings in Côte-des-Neiges. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette
The lockdown was lifted around 3:15 p.m., hours after the shooter, Hatfield, was killed. Dagher explained that police extended their operation out of an abundance of caution and to ensure that all threats had been neutralized.
Heavy police presence was reported as far as Westmount, where officers searched a significant area, including around Upper Lansdowne Ave. and nearby parks, but ultimately found nothing.
Witnesses shared harrowing accounts of sheltering inside businesses like the Supermarché PA on de Courtrai Ave., where they waited for hours as police conducted searches.
Police conduct an operation following shootings in Côte-des-Neiges on June 22, 2026. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette
The victims
On the evening of the shootings, Montreal police confirmed the identity of their fallen officer: Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34.
SPVM Chief Dagher described Benredouane as a dedicated police officer with “a lot of credibility.”
Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane was killed in the line of duty during a shootout in Côte-des-Neiges on June 22, 2026. SPVM
Stéphanie Valenzuela, borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, said Benredouane went to school in the neighbourhood and was well-known by many.
Benredouane is the first SPVM officer to die in the line of duty since 2002, when Const. Benoît L’Écuyer was shot after chasing a car that failed to stop.
Michael Mizrahi was identified as the civilian victim of a shootout in Côte-des-Neiges on June 22, 2026. Photo via Aurelieinmiami/Instagram
Michael Mizrahi, 68, was identified as the civilian killed in the shootout.
His rabbi, Mendel Raskin, described Mizrahi as a generous man who sold suits for a living. Raskin said he had originally come from Lebanon, moved to Israel and later settled in Montreal. He left behind a son and two daughters.
In the aftermath of the shootings, there was some confusion over what had happened to Mizrahi. It was rumoured he had been taken to a hospital and was still alive
Rabbi Barak Hetsroni of the Jewish General Hospital, who knows the Mizrahi family, told The Gazette that Mizrahi’s son had reached out to him in an effort to find his father. The hope was that Hetsroni’s connections to the Jewish General Hospital could lead to answers.
He accompanied Mizrahi’s son to the scene, where they ultimately confirmed Mizrahi’s identity and that he had died.
The shooter
The day after the shootings, Quebec’s coroner identified the suspected gunman as 25-year-old Seth Scott Hatfield.
Hatfield is from Lethbridge, Alta.
Records and statements released since the shootings suggest he was a university student whose writings reflected an anti-capitalist, misogynistic worldview.
Seth Scott Hatfield, the suspect identified as the gunman in Côte-des-Neiges shootings on Monday, June 22, 2026. via X
Hatfield graduated from Catholic Central High School in Lethbridge in 2019, according to the school’s graduation list for that year. He later attended the University of Lethbridge, where he studied philosophy.
Alberta police are now assisting Quebec authorities, according to the Lethbridge Police Service, as investigators work to piece together Hatfield’s activities before the attack.
Seth Scott Hatfield, the suspect identified as the gunman in Côte-des-Neiges shootings on Monday, June 22, 2026. via X
The manifesto
A purported manifesto under Seth Hatfield’s name surfaced in the wake of the tragedy.
The 104-page document contains rhetoric associated with the “involuntary celibacy” — or “incel” — movement, pointing to feminism, liberalism and capitalism as causes for what the author says is male suffering.
The text outlines steps to create a “new order” that would curtail the economic and sexual freedoms of women. It describes how readers should approach police encounters when committing acts of violence, and suggests targeting the headquarters of pornography companies, among other institutions.
The Gazette has made the editorial decision not to link to the manifesto, to avoid amplifying its message.
In the wake of the shootings, broken windows were visible in the building that houses the head office of Aylo — the world’s largest pornography company and the parent company of Pornhub.
Aylo has declined to comment on any connection to the events: “The investigation remains ongoing, and we will not speculate on motive or share unconfirmed information.”
The call for gun control
Speaking to reporters the day after the shootings, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada called for stricter gun control in Canada.
“What’s concerning is how — again today in 2026 — someone can manage to get a gun, go into a public street and open fire,” she said.
She referenced the 1989 École Polytechnique shooting and said she believes the country can go further in restricting access to firearms.
Martinez Ferrada also denounced how quickly graphic videos of the shootings spread on social media and said she worries about how easily dangerous ideologies take root online.
Soraya Martinez Ferrada gives a press conference on June 23, 2026 regarding shootings that occurred in Côte-des-Neiges the day prior. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette