Alleged Montreal shooter identified as 25-year-old from Alberta

The alleged suspect armed with a long-range firearm who wreaked havoc on Montreal Monday, leading to the deaths of a police officer, a civilian and ultimately his own, has been identified as a 25-year-old man from Lethbridge, Alta.

Seth Scott Hatfield’s name was released by the Quebec coroner on Tuesday, a day after he allegedly exchanged gunfire with police outside a hotel in the Côte-des-Neiges district.

A suspect appearing to wear full military camouflage clothing could be seen in multiple images and videos of the shooting shared online.

Lethbridge police said Tuesday morning they were conducting a high-risk search at a home there. The police force also said they had evacuated several neighbouring residences and were asking members of the public to avoid the area due to the possible presence of weapons.

“To the citizens of Côte-des-Neiges–NDG who witnessed the horrifying scenes yesterday, from far or from close, to everyone who struggled to sleep last night, please know that we are with you, that we cried with you last night,” said Stéphanie Valenzuela, borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

Multiple Quebec media have reported the gunman wrote a manifesto, which reportedly called for violence. A police spokesperson in B.C. has said police forces there were warned of the possibility of an anti-police manifesto linked to the Montreal shooting. Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton with the Surrey Police Service said the information was issued Monday afternoon by an intelligence-sharing unit operating out of the RCMP B.C. headquarters.

“One of the goals of these manifestos is to radicalize individuals as well, give them access to this type of content. It creates communities and sub-communities. And we know of forums that are completely dedicated to this group. We know that there is a chat, chat groups. We know that there is information on the dark web as well. And it seems to be a growing problem. This is not the first time that we’ve seen this in Canada,” said Ritesh Kotak, a cybersecurity tech analyst.

While Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada, said, “I can’t comment on the manifesto.” Adding, “What I’ve seen in social media is unacceptable.”

The University of Lethbridge said Hatfield was a former student of the southern Alberta university.

“Violence, such as the actions that occurred yesterday, has no place in our society,” a statement from the university reads. “The University also strongly condemns the views and ideologies that have been attributed to the shooter in media reports.

“The University is cooperating fully with appropriate authorities. As this is an active investigation, we are unable to comment further at this time.”

Officers responding to the report of a gun muzzle sticking out of the window of a Côte-des-Neiges hotel on Monday morning were met with gunfire. Witnesses described hearing up to 40 gunshots.

Just over 24 hours after the incident, there was still a heavy police presence visible in the area with many streets still closed to traffic.

Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, a 34-year-old who had been with on the force since 2021, was killed, as well as civilian Michel Moshe Mizrahi, 68.

“Horrific. I mean, doesn’t, you know, when they say it’s the first policeman shot in 25 years, that doesn’t help the situation. It’s, it’s a civilian, a police officer. It’s just horrific,” said Larry Linetsky, a business owner across the street from the shootout.

Demetrious Ridgell, a Côte Saint-Luc resident, said, “It’s one of those things you start to think what’s going through people’s minds to carry out something as tragic as this.” 

While Nochum Leidiker, who works in a building next to shootout, said, “Hope that it will never happen again and people will feel safe in Montreal.”

Quebec’s police watchdog is investigating the shooting, while Quebec provincial police have launched a parallel criminal probe.

Mayor Martinez Ferrada visited Côte-des-Neiges on Tuesday, calling for stricter gun control.

“I want to reassure Montrealers that Montreal is safe and that we need to rely on each other,” said Martinez Ferrada.

The SPVM has described Hatfield’s weapon as a long-range firearm. There has been no indication yet about how the suspect acquired it.

–With files from Gareth Madoc-Jones and The Canadian Press