The sound of bagpipes drifted through downtown Montreal Tuesday morning as thousands of uniformed first responders moved slowly toward the Bell Centre.
Behind a wreath of white flowers, the family of Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane led a procession through the city’s core, while crowds lined the streets several rows deep under bright blue skies. Officers stood at attention as the march passed, some raising salutes, others wiping away tears.
The procession was held in honour of Benredouane, the 34-year-old SPVM constable who was killed June 22 while responding to reports of an armed man near Trans Island and de Courtrai Aves. in Côte-des-Neiges.
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Two others died during the shootout: civilian Michel Mizrahi and suspected shooter Seth Scott Hatfield. A second officer was injured.
Benredouane’s shooting marked the first line-of-duty death of a Montreal police officer since Const. Benoît L’Écuyer was fatally shot in 2002. SPVM officials said about 5,000 police officers, firefighters and paramedics registered to take part in Tuesday’s memorial events.
At the front of the procession, an officer carried Benredouane’s police cap atop a ceremonial cushion while family members and loved ones followed closely behind.
The march began at Montreal police headquarters at 10 a.m., but more than an hour later first responders were still making their way toward the Bell Centre. Rows of officers stretched block after block through downtown streets, creating a near-continuous stream of uniforms moving toward the arena.
Police service officials from across Quebec and elsewhere in Canada joined SPVM officers for the procession, marching alongside firefighters and paramedics in a show of solidarity.
Hundreds of officers gather for a procession proceeding a ceremony to honour Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane . Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette
Along the route, spectators gathered behind barriers and on sidewalks, many holding phones aloft to capture the moment. Others stood quietly, watching as the procession passed beneath giant Quebec and Canadian flags suspended between two Montreal fire department ladder trucks.
Inside the Bell Centre before the ceremony began, officers from Station 26, where Benredouane served, filled sections nearest the ceremonial area. Colleagues exchanged embraces and quiet words as mourners continued to stream into the arena.
The scale of the turnout became increasingly apparent as the morning wore on. While the front of the procession had already reached the Bell Centre, officers continued arriving downtown, underscoring the impact Benredouane’s death had across Montreal’s policing community and beyond.
For much of the morning, traffic stopped, conversations quieted and thousands gathered to pay tribute to a fallen officer whose death resonated far beyond the station where he served.
Police officers gather for a procession before a ceremony at the Bell Centre to honour Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette