An Israeli man from the local Chabad community was shot and seriously injured this evening (Monday, Israel time) in a shooting incident in the Côte-de-Nez district of Montreal, Canada, a district with a large concentration of Jews.
The event took place near a supermarket, a kosher restaurant, and the local Chabad house.
According to local police, a police officer was killed and the shooter was shot dead.
The circumstances of the injury of the community member, owner of a suit store in the area, are still being investigated by local authorities, as he was apparently mistakenly identified by a policewoman as a terrorist and shot by her.
ZAKA announced in response to media reports that the community member had been killed: After the initial reports of the death of Moshe Michael Ben Miriam, ZAKA volunteer in Montreal Moishe Balch, who knows the family and prays with the injured man at the same synagogue, began to work with the family.
During the clarification of the details with the injured man's son and the synagogue rabbi, it became clear that, contrary to reports, the injured man was alive. He is hospitalized and is currently undergoing emergency surgery, with doctors fighting for his life.
ZAKA continues to maintain contact with the family members and asks the public to continue to petition in prayer. For the healing of Moshe Michael ben Miriam.
The Chabad building in the Côte-de-Nez neighborhood, near which the attack occurred
Rabbi Chaim Shlomo Cohen, the Rebbe's emissary and director of the Chabad House - a Hebrew-speaking center, in the Côte-de-Nez neighborhood where the attack occurred, recounted the moments of horror: "The attack took place a block away from our Chabad House. As soon as the shots started to sound, we were busy preparing hot meals for thousands of Jews who receive kosher food every week, and suddenly the police arrived and asked everyone to lock themselves in and not leave. At the same time, people began to evacuate the hotel where the attack took place to the Chabad House and asked us to allow everyone to stay there until the event was over.
""Unfortunately, we have now been informed that one of our community members was shot by a police officer, after she mistakenly thought he was one of the attackers. This is a dear Jew from Israel who moved to live in the neighborhood, and a regular visitor to Chabad houses.".
Rabbi Cohen adds: "It is important to emphasize that, according to the police, it appears that the attack was not directed at Jews at all, but rather against police officers, with the background still unclear and the investigation underway.".
An initial investigation indicates that the shooting began around 11:30 a.m. Residents of the area received messages on their phones: "If you are in the area - take shelter in the building, lock the doors, stay away from the windows and follow the instructions of the local authorities.".
Videos from the scene showed security forces storming a local branch of the Supermarché PA supermarket chain with weapons drawn.
Footage from the scene shows a policeman - apparently hit by a bullet - lying with a gun in his hand and a citizen trying to help him. Not far from them, another man, dressed in military uniform, is seen lying motionless, apparently the gunman who was eliminated.
Montreal police spokesman Jean-Pierre Brabant said: "We ask everyone to avoid the area. The situation is not yet under control.".
Chabad emissary, Rabbi Chaim Shlomo Cohen, told Ynet that the shooting took place near the Chabad House. "The shooting was at a building that is close to the Chabad House - from the hotel they fired at another building. One shooter was caught, and the other is apparently still being sought," he said.
According to him, the Canadian police evacuated citizens from nearby hotels to the Chabad House. "There are a hundred of us here, the volunteers and the people who were brought here. I was sitting in my office, and suddenly the police came in, said that it was forbidden to leave the building, and evacuated people from hotels to us. We are fine.".
Volunteers from ZAKA's international unit are in contact with family members, the Jewish community, and local authorities, and are assisting as needed.
