An armed and dangerous suspect remained at large Monday after shots were fired in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, prompting police to issue a rare imminent threat alert and order residents to shelter indoors. Two Montreal police officers were shot according to police sources.

Montreal police (SPVM) warned the public to avoid the area bounded by Côte-des-Neiges, McDonald Avenue, Highway 40, and Queen Mary Road.

“If you are in the affected area, shelter indoors, lock the doors, stay away from windows and follow instructions of local authorities,” police said.

Authorities have released few official details, but first reports indicate the gunfire began at or near the Hilton Hotel and struck a building across the street. Unconfirmed reports also indicate the first responding police officer was shot after arriving at the scene.

The suspect remains armed and at large as police conduct a massive search.

The incident is unfolding in the heart of one of Montreal’s largest Jewish neighborhoods, home to kosher restaurants, a kosher supermarket, and multiple Jewish institutions, including two major Chabad centers just blocks away.

Police have closed roads throughout the area, including the northbound Décarie Expressway (A-15) exit to Côte-St-Luc Road, and are urging the public to stay away while the manhunt continues.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)