Gunmen opened fire in the heart of Montreal's largest Jewish neighborhood Tuesday, killing at least one police officer, taking hostages, and triggering a sweeping lockdown that left residents barricaded in their homes as an armed manhunt stretched into the evening.
The shooting erupted near Decarie Boulevard and Westbury Avenue in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, a dense residential enclave that is home to some of Canada's most prominent Jewish institutions, including Beit Rivkah Academy, Chai Center, Vaad Ha'ir, and two major Chabad centers within blocks of the scene.
Montreal police issued an imminent threat alert shortly after 11:30 a.m. local time, warning that armed and dangerous suspects were active in the area and ordering residents to shelter in place, lock their doors, and stay away from windows. "We are asking everyone to avoid the sector," police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant said. "The situation is not under control."
ZAKA's international emergency unit, which was coordinating with local first responders, said initial reports indicated two fatalities, apparently a responding police officer and one of the attackers, though those figures had not been officially confirmed by the SPVM as of publication. A second and possibly third suspect remained at large.
Hostages were also reported inside the cordoned perimeter, according to ZAKA volunteer Moishy Blech, who was near the scene. "There is a report of hostages inside the zone," Blech said. "The police are deployed in large numbers and have sealed the entire area. The incident is still ongoing."
Chabad emissary Rabbi Chaim Shlomo Cohen described the scene from inside the local Chabad House, where police had brought roughly 100 people for shelter. "Shots were fired from the hotel at another building," he told Ynet. "One police officer was wounded. One shooter was caught, and police are apparently still searching for a second."
Eyewitnesses reported more than 20 shots fired. Videos circulating on social media showed multiple bodies on the ground and a heavily armed police response across what one resident described to local media as looking "like a war zone." Officers conducted a building-by-building sweep as major arteries in the neighborhood were sealed off.
