Stray bullet, not targeted shooting, to blame for officer’s injury: Montreal police

Montreal police say gunfire last month outside an area hospital that was initially thought to have targeted officers was actually stray bullets.

The shooting took place at about 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 24 in the parking lot of the McGill University Health Centre in the city’s west-end, and two bullet holes and a projectile were found at the scene.

Two officers took cover behind their vehicle and one suffered a slight arm injury.

Montreal police say detectives have analyzed the area and examined images, and they now believe the shots were fired from a nearby green space just south of the hospital.

But police have determined that due to the terrain, it is unlikely that the shooter could have intentionally fired at the officers.

Police said in a statement the most plausible scenario is that shots were fired and stray projectiles struck the side of the building near the officers, and a ricochet likely caused the injury.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2021.