Montreal gunman’s chilling anti-feminist manifesto revealed as witnesses recall
The man who opened fire at a Hilton hotel, killing a Canadian police officer and a civilian, left behind a disturbing anti-feminist manifesto.
Gunfire erupted outside of the four-star hotel in Côte-des-Neiges around 11.30am on Monday.
A Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) officer, who has only been identified as a man, died in the attack. An unnamed citizen also died, police said.
Initial reports said that a rabbi had died in the shooting, but his local Chabad chapter clarified he was receiving life-saving surgery. It wasn’t clear if he was the civilian referred to by police.
A female police officer was injured and is stable condition, Fady Dagher, the chief of the SPVM, said.
The shooter, who has not been identified, was killed by police, according to Dagher.
A preliminary investigation has determined that the gunman subscribed to the ‘incel,’ or involuntarily celibate ideology, sources close with the probe told TVA Nouvelles.
He lamented male loneliness and spread derogatory remarks about women in the manifesto, in which he also allegedly attacked porn sites – which he believed are largely responsible for men’s misfortune – and criticized modern capitalist society.
The manifesto even called for a violent revolution, according to Radio-Canada.
An armed and dangerous shooter opened fire in Montreal, Canada on Monday morning near Hilton Hotel
Terrifying footage shared online showed armed police officers responding to the scene in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood
Police respond to the active shooter incident in Montreal on Monday
Dagher described the deceased cop as a ‘very, very good police officer’, and said that he delivered the heartbreaking news of his death to his brother.
‘It’s a tragic moment, a real nightmare. It’s a dramatic moment for me and my troops,’ he added. The motive behind the attack remains unclear, Dagher said.
Terrifying footage shared online showed a shattered window at a high-rise building as armed police officers rushed to the scene after a citizen called 911, Dahger said.
Other clips showed police officers rushing into a Supermarché PA, a local grocery store in the area, as two people lay on the ground outside.
The shooter, who appeared to be armed with a large firearm, was also seen charging and shooting at officers outside of the building, footage showed.
The suspect then reloaded their weapon before appearing to be hit by bullets that were fired by police, video showed.
‘We are asking everyone to avoid the sector. The situation is not under control,’ Jean-Pierre Brabant, a spokesperson with Montreal police, said when shots first rang out.
The shooter, who has not been identified, was killed by police, Fady Dagher, the chief of the SPVM, said
A man cries near the scene of the shooting on Monday afternoon
Brandon Elkaim, a local who lives nearby, said he saw children and parents running for their lives at a local park when the incident unfolded.
He told CTV News how he heard 10 to 12 shots fired in rapid succession.
At that point, Elkaim told CBC: ‘I saw parents ripping their kids off of the play structure. They were running for their life.’
A second round of gunfire followed shortly after, which he described as sounding ‘much closer’ before a large police response moved in.
‘The police presence just swarmed and it didn’t stop swarming for half an hour,’ Elkaim recounted, adding that officers, helicopters and canine units all arrived in rapid succession.
He then went on to describe the scale of the response outside his condo as deeply unsettling.
Footage showed broken glass windows on a high-rise building during the shooting
Dagher speaks at a press conference following the deadly shooting
The area is known for its high levels of foot traffic, with several residential buildings and grocery stores nearby.
Côte-des-Neiges is also known to be a heavily populated Jewish area known for its large Orthodox and Chabad communities, according to the Jewish Telegraph Agency.
Another emergency alert told residents there is an ‘armed and dangerous suspect’ in the area.
‘If you are in the affected area, shelter indoors, lock the doors, stay away from windows and follow instructions of local authorities,’ the alert warned.
A SPVM spokesperson told the Daily Mail that the shooting is being investigated by the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI).
The bureau said in a statement that 10 officers have been assigned to investigate the shooting in accordance with its mandate to probe any police-involved shootings.