Videos emerged of a dramatic gun battle in Montreal on Monday, including two that show a bystander possibly shot by police, or by the active shooter shortly before his own death. However, the videos are inconclusive and police have not said who killed the civilian.
Attack Details
Just before noon on Monday, an unidentified man clad in camouflage and carrying a long gun opened fire on police officers in the neighbourhood of Côte-des-Neiges, killing one and wounding another. The attack began after police arrived to address 911 reports of an armed man seen in the window of a Hilton Hotel. Once on scene, however, they immediately came under fire by a gunman at ground level.
“It was a 911 call from a citizen telling us that somebody was shooting from a specific place, and at that moment when police came, that person wasn’t on the specific floors, he was already on the ground floor,” Montreal police chief Fady Dagher said in a press briefing.
Video Evidence
One video, taken from the upper floors of a building overlooking the street, appears to show the immediate aftermath of the opening shots, with two officers already taking cover behind a large planter. The 34-second video shows a man creeping around a corner to fire on the officers, passing by an older pedestrian seemingly unaware of the danger. Loud booms are heard, before the two officers can be seen scrambling to cover around the opposite side of the planter. The video pans to the shooter crouched a few metres away, before panning back to reveal that one of the officers, service pistol in hand, is now sprawled forward in front of a parked Porsche, leaving behind a trail of blood.
Bystander Struck
A second video, taken from street level, shows the stricken officer rolling onto his back, and then back onto his stomach and then attempting to crawl forward before lying motionless on the ground. It was in this position that the officer’s body, still clutching his pistol, can be seen in video taken after the threat had been neutralized. The video then appears to show a bystander in a black T-shirt attempting to take cover with the second officer behind the planter, only to be struck himself, falling to the ground. The officer was seen to be startled by the man’s appearance and angled her pistol towards him.
Unanswered Questions
Police have not confirmed who fired the shot that struck the bystander. The videos are inconclusive, and the investigation is ongoing. The shooter was killed at the scene. The incident has raised questions about police tactics and the safety of bystanders during active shooter events.
