Canadian Police Warn of Copycat Attacks After 3 Die in Montreal Shootout

Q: A civilian was killed in police crossfire. Will the investigation reveal who fired the fatal shot?

Probably, but not yet. At this stage, authorities have not publicly said who fired the shot that killed civilian Michel Mizrahi. Witness video has raised the possibility that he was struck by police gunfire during the exchange, and Montreal’s police chief said he did not know. The key reason the answer may eventually become clear is that two formal processes are now examining the shooting. Quebec’s independent police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, is investigating the police use of firearms, and a coroner has been tasked with examining the circumstances of all three deaths. Those inquiries typically review ballistic evidence, autopsy findings, video, radio traffic, scene reconstruction and officer statements. That means investigators should be able to determine, or at least strongly narrow down, whether the fatal round came from police or the gunman. But there is an important distinction: investigations are expected to establish the facts internally before any public confirmation. The watchdog has declined to comment while the case is active, so there is no guarantee that a definitive answer will be released immediately or in full. So the most accurate answer is that the investigation is designed to find out who fired the fatal shot, but as of now it has not publicly done so.

1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 23

A national police bulletin urged officers across Canada to stay highly vigilant after a Montreal gunman’s 104-page manifesto surfaced online following a shootout that left three people dead.
Nearly 30 shots rang out in Côte-des-Neiges after a man in military camouflage carrying a long gun was spotted; the dead included officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, and the gunman, while another officer was critically injured.
Witness video appears to show police accidentally killing civilian Michel Mizrahi during the firefight, a claim Quebec’s police watchdog is investigating alongside the other deaths.
The manifesto called for “a new bloodletting,” echoed incel, racist and misogynistic grievances, and listed targets including politicians, banks, healthcare executives and “influential Zionists.”
The killing was Canada’s third on-duty police death this month and revived scrutiny of violent misogynist extremism after earlier incel-linked attacks in Toronto and the 1989 Montreal massacre.