Officials have confirmed that the suspect in Monday’s shooting in Montreal is a 25-year-old from Alberta and that police are looking into whether he was the author of a manifesto.
The office of the Quebec coroner on Tuesday said one of the three deceased is Seth Scott Hatfield, 25, from Lethbridge, Alta.
The two other people killed in the incident had previously been identified. The Montreal police said Constable Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, was shot dead while responding to an emergency call that someone was pointing a gun from a hotel window.
The Israeli Consulate in Montreal confirmed that a citizen of Israel, 68-year-old Michel Mizrahi, died during the gun battle that erupted after police officers arrived at the scene and exchanged shots with the suspect.
A coroner, Martine Lachance, has been mandated to investigate the circumstances of the three deaths, spokesman Jake Lamotta Granato said.
The RCMP also confirmed Tuesday that the suspect was from Alberta and that there was a manifesto.
The RCMP sent a bulletin to multiple police agencies on Monday, warning that a 105-page manifesto from Alberta was “allegedly encouraging citizens to shoot police officers,” according to a copy of the alert reviewed by The Globe and Mail.
Police have said that Constable Benredouane and another officer arrived outside the Hilton Garden Inn Montreal Midtown after a 911 call.
Eyewitness accounts and videos posted online show that the two officers exchanges shots from within a few metres from the gunman, who wielded a rifle and was wearing a camouflaged vest and tactical webbing.
Constable Benredouane was raised in the Côte-des-Neiges district where the shooting took place. “He went to school in the neighbourhood, he knew the residents,” said Stéphanie Valenzuela, the local borough mayor.
“When you have someone that grew up in the neighbourhood, decided to serve his community in a way that he did, by ultimately losing his life, it was an act of heroism that I can’t highlight further,” she told reporters on Tuesday.
Constable Benredouane had a three-year-old child and a partner who is pregnant, according to an online fundraiser launched Tuesday by a friend of his.
“Behind the uniform was an exceptional man: a dedicated police officer, a loyal friend, a loving partner, and an extraordinary father,” the fundraiser says. “All of Quebec is mourning the loss of an exemplary police officer who dedicated his life to protecting others.”
Those who knew Mr. Mizrahi, who owned a Montreal boutique specializing in men’s suits, described him as a fixture in his community.
Mohamed Lamine Benredouane in a photo provided by the Montreal Police.HO/The Canadian Press
He ran Le Suit Lounge menswear store nearby with his son, one of three children. Two daughters live in Israel, where Mr. Mizrahi also resided for a time before immigrating to Canada, and where he will now be buried.
Mr. Mizrahi was a humble person who served others, said Rabbi Chaim Shlomo Cohen of the MADA Community Centre. “Very kind, very gentle, always connected to the community.”
Rabbi Mendel Raskin, director of the Beth Chabad Côte Saint-Luc, described Mr. Mizrahi as generous and willing to give suits to those who couldn’t afford them.
Mr. Mizrahi was a member of the congregation since it started in 1989 and would take people out to restaurants or for coffee and cover the bill, Mr. Raskin said: “We should learn from him. He was the man that everybody loves to be around.”
He described Mr. Mizrahi as having a contagious smile and a heart of gold. “To think, what can I do to help another person? This is Michel Mizrahi,” he said.
Paola Samuel, regional director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada with B’nai Brith Canada, said people would stop by Mr. Mizrahi’s shop just to see him. She said people in the community are remembering him as “a lovely guy” who was quick to smile and always ready to stop for a chat.
“You just wanted to be around him,” she said.
Michel Mizrahi in a photo provided by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.The Canadian Press
The shooting took place next to the Montreal office of Aylo, one of the world’s largest operators of pornographic sites, including Pornhub.
Police were on site in the building, which houses a number of businesses and residential condos along with Pornhub, both on Monday and Tuesday, speaking to occupants.
In a statement, Aylo expressed condolences for Constable Benredouane and Mr. Mizrahi. The company declined to comment on speculation that the shooter targeted it because his manifesto mentioned his resentment of pornography.
“We are aware of recent media reports about yesterday’s shooting, including reports discussing a possible connection to Aylo and Pornhub. The investigation remains ongoing, and we will not speculate on motive or share unconfirmed information.”
With reports from Marie Woolf in Ottawa