Deadly Knife Attack Shakes Montreal: Suburban Streets Locked Down, One Killed, Two Fighting for Lives

Montreal, Canada— A quiet residential block in Laval, just north of Montreal, turned into a crime scene before sunrise Thursday after a man armed with a kitchen knife went house to house, killing one neighbor and wounding two others.

Sûreté du Québec officers were called at 5:18 a.m. after a 911 caller reported a man screaming in the street. Within nine minutes, two more calls came in from the same block on Avenue des Ormes. The first victim, a 68-year-old man, was found dead in his driveway, apparently attacked while taking out trash. The other two victims, a 41-year-old woman and her 34-year-old brother, were stabbed on their front porches.

Police said the attacks appeared random. The suspect, a 27-year-old man who lived three houses down from the first victim, had no known relationship to any of the three. Neighbors said he had moved to the street last spring and kept mostly to himself. One neighbor said she had seen police at his address two weeks earlier for a noise complaint.

"The call started as a disturbance. It became a homicide within minutes," said SQ spokesperson Lt. Camille Tremblay. "Our officers arrived to find victims outside, neighbors trying to help, and the suspect still on the street with the weapon in hand. They ordered him to drop it. He did not."

Officers deployed a Taser after a short chase through backyards. The suspect was taken into custody at 5:47 a.m. without gunfire. A large kitchen knife was recovered from a garden bed. Police said he was bleeding from self-inflicted cuts and was taken to Cité-de-la-Santé Hospital under guard.

CTV News reported the Laval neighborhood had not seen a homicide in over four years. The suburb is mostly duplexes and small single-family homes, home to many retirees and young families. Schools in a two-kilometer radius were placed in secure-and-hold status until 9 a.m. as a precaution while officers cleared yards and sheds.

The two wounded victims were transported to Sacré-Coeur Hospital. One underwent emergency surgery for abdominal wounds and is listed as critical. The other sustained defensive wounds to arms and hands and is expected to survive. Investigators spent the morning mapping blood trails between three homes spaced roughly 40 meters apart.

Police have not filed formal charges yet. Detectives said they are interviewing family members and reviewing medical records to determine if mental health was a factor. A warrant to search the suspect's residence was executed at noon. Officers removed several items in evidence bags, including prescription bottles.

The block remains closed. A police tent covers the driveway where the first victim died. Residents stood behind barriers Thursday morning, some crying, others holding coffee in silence.