The man suspected of carrying out Monday’s fatal shooting in Montreal is dead, and authorities have released little information about him beyond his identity.
Quebec’s coroner’s office has identified the suspect as Seth Scott Hatfield, 25, of Lethbridge, Alta., but investigators have so far declined to discuss a possible motive or explain why he travelled to Montreal.
Monday’s shooting left Montreal police officer Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane dead. Michel Mizrahi, a civilian, was also killed during the incident in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood. Another police officer was left with serious injuries.
The two victims are being remembered for their deep ties to the neighbourhood as well as how they each served their respective communities.
Here’s what we know about the suspected shooter so far.
Hatfield left behind a violent incel (involuntary celibate) manifesto targeting women. The manifesto criticizes, among other things, capitalism, zionism, liberalism and online pornography, and suggests targeting pornography companies.
Coroner identifies Montreal shooting suspect that left 2 dead
The University of Lethbridge has confirmed that the shooter was a student at the school.
In a statement, the university condemned the violence and said it is co-operating “fully with appropriate authorities” and would not comment further due to the ongoing investigation.
“The university also strongly condemns the views and ideologies that have been attributed to the shooter in media reports,” the statement says.
Police in Lethbridge released a short statement Tuesday saying they are assisting Quebec authorities in their investigation.
The Lethbridge Police Service, in the southern part of Alberta, also conducted a high-risk search in a residential neighbourhood Tuesday. Several nearby homes were evacuated due to the possible presence of firearms in the targeted building.
A timeline of Montreal’s deadly Côte-des-Neiges shooting
Numerous videos of Monday’s shooting circulated online in the aftermath, along with a flood of theories and rumours on social media, but little information has been released by officials.
Some local media have reported that the suspect targeted that particular area of the city because of its proximity to the offices of Montreal-based Aylo, formerly MindGeek, which operates several pornography-sharing websites.
Montreal shooting suspect distributed incel manifesto targeting women | Hanomansing Tonight
In a statement published on Tuesday, Aylo said it “will not speculate on motive or share unconfirmed information” as the investigation is ongoing. It also shared its condolences to the families of Benredouane and Mizrahi as well as Montreal police.
“Though our city was struck by tragedy, we want to express gratitude to the first responders who bravely protected us and ensured that none of our employees were physically harmed by yesterday’s events,” the statement reads.
Quebec’s Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière called the shooting a “domestic case,” and said it is not related to terrorism.
Quebec’s police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), was assigned to investigate.
During a news conference Tuesday, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada called for stricter gun control, saying firearms have no place in the city. She also spoke about the effect the shooting has had on Montreal.
She said such an event hurts the city’s sense of safety, and it will take time to recover.
“But, again, I want to reassure Montrealers that Montreal is safe,” said Martinez Ferrada.
