Family and friends honour bystander killed in Montreal shooting

The service at Paperman & Sons funeral home, in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, drew such a large crowd that some mourners stood in the building’s vestibule.

Rabbis, relatives and community members took turns paying tribute.

“My father was the most positive person,” Shlomi Mizrahi said. “The only thing that would put my dad in a bad mood was not being tanned,” he said, drawing laughter from some mourners.

Rabbi Mendel Raskin told the crowd that Mizrahi’s actions during the shooting reflected the generosity for which he was known. The rabbi recounted stories from people who told him Mizrahi warned them away from danger.

He said one woman told him that Mizrahi repeatedly urged her and her son to leave the area, while another said he convinced her to take shelter inside a nearby business moments before dozens of shots were fired.

“There are people in this room today who were saved by Michel,” said Raskin.

The rabbi said Mizrahi, a tailor and menswear retailer, always looked for ways to help others. He said the man was a source of comfort and encouragement within the community, and listened to people, reassured them and was always ready to help.

Outside the funeral home, longtime friend Léon Mayer said he had spoken with Mizrahi a few minutes before the shooting started.

“One minute you’re making plans to meet for a drink, and the next you’re hearing he’s gone,” Mayer said. “I still don’t know how to make sense of it.”

Among those gathered outside the service was Arlette Abend, who said she did not know Mizrahi personally but felt affected by his death.

“I came here because it felt close to me,” she said. “Even though I didn’t know him personally, I knew people who knew him. I know he was loved.”

Abend said the shooting had shaken many people in Montreal’s Jewish community, even those who did not know the victims personally.

“Seeing everybody here, it’s very touching,” she said.

Reflecting on the grief felt across the community, Raskin urged mourners to respond to the violence with acts of faith and kindness, rather than despair.

“The terrible darkness we experienced this week in Montreal can only be pushed back with light,” he said.

Organizers said Mizrahi will be buried in Israel, where his family will also sit shiva, the traditional Jewish ritual of mourning.

Elsewhere in the city, family and friends were preparing to say goodbye to Benredouane, the 34-year-old police officer killed in the shooting.

A private ceremony for Benredouane was set to take place later Wednesday at the Islamic Centre of Quebec in Montreal before a burial in Laval, a city north of Montreal.

Benredouane joined the Montreal police force in 2021. In a statement, Montreal police paid tribute to his “sense of duty, dedication, and professionalism.”

Earlier this week, Stephanie Valenzuela, mayor of the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, described Benredouane as a well-known member of the community where he had grown up and attended school.

Montreal police said in a statement that discussions were also underway about organizing a civic ceremony to celebrate Benredouane’s life and service.

Meanwhile, Saint-Jean Baptiste Day celebrations planned in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood were cancelled as the area remained shaken by the violence. The holiday, celebrated June 24, is Quebec’s national holiday and is typically marked by concerts, festivals and community gatherings across the province.

In a statement, the Côte-des-Neiges Business Development Corporation said the decision was made “out of respect” for the community and “to avoid large gatherings.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2026.

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press