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The death of Mohamed Lamine Benredouane is being felt well beyond the borders of Quebec.
According to a relative of the Montreal police officer, the shockwaves are also registering in Algeria, where Benredouane was born.
“I consider him like a brother,” said Nadir Ahcene Djaballah, a distant older cousin of the slain police officer who was once his neighbour in Skikda, Algeria.
“A lot of people back home are very touched by his death.”
Benredouane was among the two people killed during Monday’s midday shooting in the city’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood — the same neighbourhood he grew up in.
The shooting prompted an emergency alert and a shelter-in-place order.
Ahcene Djaballah explained that his cousin — who had a twin brother — comes from a large family that is well-known within Algeria and its diaspora in Quebec.
He remembers Benredouane as a friendly boy who was always smiling before he immigrated to Canada. He said Benredouane grew up to be a well-educated, polite man.
WATCH | How the shooting shook residents in the neighbourhood:
Montreal neighbourhood shaken after police officer, bystander shot dead
As the investigation into why a 25-year-old man from Alberta opened fire in a busy Montreal neighbourhood continues, the community mourned the two men killed in the shooting: police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane and bystander Michel Mizrahi.
A funeral prayer was held for the 34-year-old police officer at a mosque in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent borough on Wednesday. Mourners then proceeded to the Laval Cemetery for the burial.
According to a crowdfunding campaign launched for his family, Benredouane leaves behind a three-year-old child and a pregnant wife.
“Behind the uniform was an exceptional man: a dedicated police officer, a loyal friend, a loving husband and an extraordinary father,” reads the page.
The second victim in Monday’s shooting was 68-year-old Michel Mizrahi, a bystander. His funeral also took place on Wednesday.
WATCH | Benredouane’s ties to Côte-des-Neiges:
Montreal mourns police officer killed in neighbourhood where he grew up
Residents of the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood are mourning the death of 34-year-old Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane who was killed in a shooting Monday. A civilian and the suspect also died that day.’A martyr of duty’
Benredouane’s death marks the first time in 24 years that a Montreal police officer has been killed in the line of duty.
In a statement to media Wednesday, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) said the funeral prayer for him was “strictly private.”
“Out of respect for the family’s wishes, we ask that you not attend. Discussions are underway to organize a civic ceremony to celebrate the life of officer Benredouane,” read the statement.
Still, the funeral services and burial drew scores of people.
Lyes Chekal drove to Wednesday’s services all the way from Saint-Basile-le-Grand, a municipality about 40 kilometres south of Montreal.
He felt he had to be there — even if he didn’t know the slain officer.
“He’s a martyr of duty. He risked his life for citizens,” said Chekal.
Chekal wasn’t the only one who travelled fairly long distances to pay their respects.
Nubaid Oubeid Allah drove from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, another municipality located well south of Montreal. Oubeid Allah said his presence was an act of solidarity and part of an effort to make sure Benredouane’s death “isn’t just a statistic.”
Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, third from the left, smiling next to his soccer teammates. (Ligue Amicale Maghrébine de Soccer-Montréal)Raised in Côte-des-Neiges
Benredouane was born in Algeria and was a resident of the city of Laval just north Montreal.
But he also had deep roots in Côte-des-Neiges. He was raised there and attended La Voie High School, which is located about a kilometre away from where he was fatally shot this week.
Those strong neighbourhood ties prompted a tribute earlier this week from Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough mayor Stéphanie Valenzuela.
“When you have someone that grew up in the neighbourhood, decided to serve his community in a way that he did by ultimately losing his life — it was an act of heroism.”
Benredouane was also a member of the Montreal-based Ligue maghrébine de soccer (Maghreb soccer league).
In a social media post published on Monday, the league shared a picture of Benredouane, flanked by teammates, smiling widely.
“The Algerian community has lost one of its children, respected and loved by all,” the statement reads.
According to Radio-Canada, the SPVM will honour its fallen colleague in about two weeks.