Montreal police officers have shot and killed a man armed with a hammer.
There were several calls to 9-1-1 shortly before 11 a.m. Monday concerning an agitated man wandering near Berri St. and Ontario St. while holding a hammer.
Officers rushed to the scene and tried to stop the man but were unable to get him to put down the hammer.
There are reports police asked for an officer with a taser to come to the area, but before someone with a non-lethal weapon arrived officers shot the man at least once.
"The information we have is that within 5 minutes of the first 9-1-1 call was the police intervention," said Const. Danny Richer.
Soon afterward paramedics arrived at the scene and, while performing CPR on the victim, loaded the man into an ambulance.
Two hours later he was declared dead, and the Public Security Ministry ordered the Surete du Quebec to take over the investigation.
Two officers involved in the shooting were taken to hospital to be treated for nervous shock.
Before the SQ took over the investigation, Montreal police spent two hours talking to witnesses, and had planned to acquire surveillance video of the area to assist in the investigation.
Const. Richer said the man who was shot was known to the police force, and said officers had run-ins with him rather recently.
"The [victim] is known to police for what I cannot say exactly, but police have met with him in the past few days and weeks," said Const. Richer.
One witness to Monday morning's shooting told CTV Montreal reporter Kevin Gallagher that the victim was staying in a nearby hostel, and had been breaking windows before the altercation with police.
Officers said Monday morning they were also looking for another person who was apparently involved in a dispute with the shooting victim.
This person may have been struck and fled the scene before officers arrived.
