Following a tragic shooting incident on June 22, social media rumors suggesting a Montreal police officer shot and killed civilian Michel Mizrahi are unfounded, as per sources cited by Radio-Canada. Initial reports surfaced via La Presse on Wednesday morning. The autopsy findings revealed that Mizrahi sustained multiple gunshot wounds, including a fatal shot to the head.
Sources at Radio-Canada indicate that the trajectory analysis of the fatal shot indicates a left-to-right direction, contradicting the police officer’s position and ruling out her firearm as the source. The officer, relatively new to the force with only 15 months of service, was reportedly being pursued by the assailant.
Moments before the tragic incident, the perpetrator fatally shot the officer’s patrol partner, Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, who was lying nearby. The assailant, armed with an SKS rifle, wounded the officer in the arm and abdomen before being killed by responding officers.
The circulation of various videos depicting the shooting from different angles on social media led to public speculation that the officer mistakenly shot Mizrahi in a state of surprise. Furthermore, the officer received death threats while in critical condition at the hospital.
In an interview with Radio-Canada, Montreal Police Chief Fady Dagher expressed his anticipation for honoring the officer but did not directly confirm the details reported by La Presse. Dagher empathized with the officer’s ordeal, highlighting the injustice of her being unfairly judged by the public despite enduring severe injuries and a coma following the traumatic event.
The incident unfolded when authorities responded to reports of an armed individual at a Hilton hotel in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood around 11:35 a.m. A shootout ensued between Montreal police and the armed assailant, leading to ongoing investigations by Quebec’s police watchdog, provincial police, and the coroner’s office.
