Dean's list philosophy graduate is unmasked as Montreal shooter who killed two outside Hilton hotel

A gunman who killed two people outside a Hilton Hotel in Montreal before being shot dead by cops has been identified as 25-year-old Seth Scott Hatfield, authorities say. 

Hatfield, of Lethbridge, Alberta, allegedly opened fire outside the hotel in Côte-des-Neiges on Monday, with footage showing a dramatic shootout on the streets with police officers. 

Police said Hatfield traveled from Alberta to Montreal for the shooting, where he killed Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, and bystander Michel Mizrahi, 68, in the spree before he was also shot dead by cops. 

Officers were called to the scene late Monday morning, and were met with heavy gunfire that sent members of the public scrambling for safety. 

Benredouane was fatally shot and another officer was wounded in the shootout, before Mizrahi was shot in the crossfire as he tried to escape, police said. 

Hatfield, who was seen wearing military-style clothing and wielding a long gun during the exchange, was a student at the University of Lethbridge, and he was reportedly a philosophy major.

Hatfield also left behind a disturbing manifesto where he ranted about anti-feminist and extremist views, and he is believed to have subscribed to the 'incel' - or involuntary celibate - ideology, police sources told TVA Nouvelles. 

He lamented male loneliness and spread derogatory remarks about women in the manifesto, in which he also allegedly attacked porn sites - which he believed are largely responsible for men's misfortune - and criticized modern capitalist society. 

Analyses of Hatfield's lengthy 120-page manifesto indicates he also subscribed to far-left Marxist and anti-Zionist ideologies, writing at times about the 'Judeo-bourgeois class' among Western elites. 

The shooting on Monday unfolded outside the headquarters of Aylo, which hosts the pornography site Pornhub, however police have not commented on whether Hatfield was targeting the company's staff. 

An Aylo spokesperson said the company was thankful for the quick response by emergency services, and said it would 'not speculate on the motives nor disclose any unconfirmed information' regarding the gunman's motives.  

Côte-des-Neiges is also known to be a heavily populated Jewish area known for its large Orthodox and Chabad communities, according to the Jewish Telegraph.

The University of Lethbridge confirmed Hatfield was a student, and said it was cooperating with the police investigation in a statement released Tuesday. 

'Violence, such as the actions that occurred yesterday, has no place in our society,' the university said. 

'The University also strongly condemns the views and ideologies that have been attributed to the shooter in media reports.'

According to the University of Lethbridge's published Dean's Honour List for Winter 2026, Hatfield was awarded the top honor in philosophy for this semester.  

Mizrahi was identified as one of the victims by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), a prominent Canadian civil society group, which described him as a 'beloved member of Montreal's Jewish community.' 

Police said while the investigation is ongoing, it is not believed that Hatfield targeted Mizrahi over his Jewish faith, and he was killed in the crossfire with police as he tried to flee. 

The Israeli Consulate in Montreal said Mizrahi was an Israeli citizen living in Canada, and said his family 'knows all too well the horrors of terror and violence, making this tragic loss even more painful.' 

Police paid tribute to Benredouane after the police officer was killed in the shooting, as the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) said his death was a 'great loss.'

'His sense of duty, dedication and professionalism will forever remain in our memories,' the service said, saying he as 'fallen, but not forgotten.' 

Fady Dagher, the chief of the SPVM, also described the deceased cop as a 'very, very good police officer', and said that he delivered the heartbreaking news of his death to his brother.

'It's a tragic moment, a real nightmare. It's a dramatic moment for me and my troops,' he added.

Terrifying footage of the shooting shared online showed a shattered window at a high-rise building as armed police officers rushed to the scene. 

Other clips showed police officers rushing into a Supermarché PA, a local grocery store in the area, as two people lay on the ground outside.

Witnesses filmed from windows nearby as the gunman charged and shot at officers outside the building, sparking a volley of crossfire in the street.

The suspect then reloaded their weapon before appearing to be hit by bullets that were fired by police, video showed. 

Brandon Elkaim, a local who lives nearby, said he saw children and parents running for their lives at a local park when the incident unfolded.

He told CTV News how he heard 10 to 12 shots fired in rapid succession.

At that point, Elkaim said he 'saw parents ripping their kids off of the play structure. They were running for their life.'

A second round of gunfire followed shortly after, which he described as sounding 'much closer' before a large police response moved in.

'The police presence just swarmed and it didn't stop swarming for half an hour,' Elkaim recounted, adding that officers, helicopters and canine units all arrived in rapid succession.