A Montreal police officer who was killed on the job last month is being remembered at a public memorial as a dedicated father and a hero who saved lives in his final moments.
Police Chief Fady Dagher told thousands of people gathered at the Bell Centre that the death of Mohamed Lamine Benredouane felt like losing a member of his own family.
Benredouane should not have been on duty the day he was killed, Dagher said, explaining that the slain officer had been injured a short time before he responded to a 911 call on June 22 about a gunman. But when the call came, Benredouane and his partner were first on scene.
“You cut short his murderous rampage. How many people did you save?” Dagher said.
Benredouane, 34, was one of the officers who responded to a 911 call about gunshots at a hotel in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges district on June 22.
Two other people were killed in the ensuing gunfire — civilian bystander Michel Mizrahi, 68, and the alleged gunman, Seth Scott Hatfield, 25, from Lethbridge, Alta. Another officer was injured.
“Because of that individual, a police officer and a citizen lost their lives that day. A female officer was critically injured. If you hadn’t been there, and acted so quickly and courageously, how many more deaths would we be mourning?” Dagher said.
He told the audience that Benredouane was described by his fellow officers as brave and protective of his colleagues and the public. Born in Algeria, Benredouane loved police symbols since he was a child, Dagher said.
Benredouane was also the father of a two-year-old son and an unborn child, said Dagher, who cried as he apologized to the children for not being able to save their father.
Before the ceremony began, thousands of police officers from all over Canada marched through the streets of Montreal in a procession to honour Benredouane.
A bagpipe band and officers on horseback led the way as the march made its way through downtown. One officer held a police hat on a cushion, walking behind a pickup truck carrying a display of blue and white flowers.
“Mohamed was so committed, totally available to his colleagues,” Dagher told reporters early Tuesday, before the ceremony.
He said Benredouane carried out a variety of different assignments at Station 26, which serves the city’s Côte-des-Neiges, Mont-Royal and Outremont neighbourhoods.
“Usually, when a police officer cycles through several teams, it’s because they’re a problem case — but with Mohamed, it was the exact opposite,” he said. “Everyone wanted him on their team.”
Montreal police said more than 5,000 officers were expected to participate, including more than 2,700 from the city’s force. Benredouane is the first Montreal police officer in 24 years to be killed while on duty. He had been with the force since 2021.
Police officers salute during a procession in honour of fallen Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane in Montreal, on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Canadian Armed Forces helicopters passed in a flyby ahead of the ceremony. People lined the sidewalks as the procession passed by, and children watched from the yard of a daycare. A private ceremony for those close to Benredouane was held at the Islamic Centre of Quebec in Montreal on June 24.
Officials have said Benredouane grew up around Côte-des-Neiges and he was well-known in the community.
A police officer carries a cap during a procession in honour of fallen Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane in Montreal, on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Samir Benserradj, who has family connections to Benredouane, said the huge turnout for the procession was helping the family to feel less alone amid their tragic loss.
“We always think this happens to someone else,” he told reporters. “Then a few hours later, my cousin wrote and said the brother of his wife was killed. It was shocking, it was devastating, especially for his direct family.”
Members of the public were invited to participate in the procession and the funeral.
Nour Gharib, who brought a bouquet of white flowers, said she wanted to show her support to the officer and his family.
“I am sending all my thoughts and prayers to his family, may he rest in peace, and I thank all police officers, firefighters and nurses, who are there for us every day,” the 20-year-old said.
Montreal police officers take part in a procession in honour of fallen officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane in Montreal, on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2026.
By Erika Morris and Morgan Lowrie | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
