New details are coming to light in the aftermath of the deadly shooting in Montreal that left three people dead in the city’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood on Monday.
Here’s what we know.
Alleged shooter identified
The alleged shooter has been identified as Seth Scott Hatfield, a 25-year-old man from Lethbridge, Alta., according to the Quebec coroner’s office. The man’s name is the same as that which appears on a manifesto that was allegedly found inside a hotel room near the scene of the shooting.
The coroner has also confirmed the identities of the other two people who were killed: 34-year-old Montreal police (SPVM) officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, of Laval, and Michel Mizrahi, 68, of Montreal, who was an innocent bystander.
The release of the names comes as CTV News confirms that Lethbridge police in Alberta are assisting the Quebec police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), in its investigation into the shooting.
Police also conducted a high-risk search of a home on Lemoyne Crescent in Lethbridge.
“As a precautionary measure, due to the possible presence of weapons, several neighbouring residences have been evacuated,” Lethbridge said Tuesday.
The police force also said it evacuated several neighbouring residences and was asking members of the public to avoid the area.
Provincial police working with BEI
Quebec provincial police are assisting the BEI in its investigation. The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) said it is conducting a criminal investigation into Monday’s events in relation to the shooter, including his movements, his motive, and the sequence of events that led to the tragedy.
An SQ spokesperson said their investigation is in its preliminary stages and did not have any public information to release on Tuesday morning.
The BEI, meanwhile, is leading the investigation into the actions of the Montreal police officers.
Slain officer hailed as a hero
The Montreal police officer killed in Monday’s shooting is being praised as a hero on Tuesday.
Stéphanie Valenzuela, the borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, said Lamine Benredouane went to school in the neighbourhood that he served.
“Many of my friends many people in my network knew him personally so much to the point that this morning when I woke up, on my social media, there were flashback pictures of him from high school with close friends and family members, so it’s very personal. It hits very close to home and it’s just really devastating,” Valenzuela said.
“It was an act of heroism that I can’t highlight further and I just want his family and his loved ones to know that we are with them and we mourn with them.”
More to come.
