Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada called for stricter gun control in Canada on Tuesday, following a deadly shooting in the Côte-des-Neiges district on Monday that left a police officer, a civilian and the suspected shooter dead.
Mayor's Call for Action
“How can we do better in the future to prevent something like this?” Martinez Ferrada said during a press conference. The former Liberal MP for Hochelaga, who supported federal gun control legislation while in Parliament, emphasized the need for stronger measures.
“Even people that lived through Polytechnique will tell you that I think we can go further,” she said, referencing the Dec. 6, 1989, École Polytechnique massacre that left 14 women dead and 14 others injured in a misogynistic, antifeminist attack.
“I know it’s difficult because guns sometimes are … in many areas for hunting, for Indigenous communities. But in a city like Montreal, we need to have a better control of what’s happening in the street in terms of gun control,” Martinez Ferrada added.
Details of the Shooting
The terrifying sequence began around 11:35 a.m. Monday when police responded to 911 reports of an armed man seen in a window of a Hilton Hotel. Upon arrival, officers were immediately fired upon by a gunman at ground level. Videos captured a dramatic gun battle where a man clad in camouflage and carrying a long gun opened fire, killing one officer and wounding another.
Montreal police identified the deceased officer as Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34. A civilian, 68-year-old Michel Mizrahi, was also killed in the crossfire. The Quebec coroner identified the suspect as Seth Scott Hatfield, a 25-year-old from Lethbridge, Alberta.
Community Impact
Stéphanie Valenzuela, borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, said some residents are afraid to leave home. “Every time they’re in the area, they’re re-living what happened yesterday. So, it’s very difficult for the residents,” Valenzuela said in French. “All we can do is support them and listen.”
Martinez Ferrada acknowledged it will take time for people to recover but assured Montrealers that “Montreal is safe.”
Criticism of Social Media Videos
The mayor also criticized the circulation of “very graphic” videos of the shooting on social media. “It desensitizes,” she said in French. “We can’t accept that. As a society we need to be respectful and make sure that we are also (protecting) the dignity of the police officer we saw yesterday and the family that had to see those images.”
Broader Context
Martinez Ferrada questioned how someone could start shooting people in the street. “We have to fight back against people’s ability to own guns and use them in the streets in this manner,” she said. “We don’t believe that there’s any room for people to use guns in a city like Montreal.”
