(AFP) - A midday shooting in Montreal killed three people on Monday, including a police officer, a civilian, and the alleged gunman, triggering rare levels of shock across the Canadian city.

The bloodshed occurred in a partly Jewish neighborhood that includes kosher markets and restaurants, and the civilian who was shot dead has been identified as a member of Montreal`s Jewish community.

But police have declined comment on the shooter`s motive.

French language public broadcaster Radio Canada said the gunman was connected to "incel" ideology -- a misogynistic worldview that fueled the man responsible for one of Canada`s most deadly mass killings, a 2018 vehicle-ramming in Toronto that killed 10.

Incel means "involuntarily celibate," and is linked to heterosexual men driven to extremism over their apparent inability to find women who want to be their partners.

Montreal police chief Fady Dagher said Monday`s incident was "a tragedy, a nightmare."

Dagher said police received a call about an active shooting in Montreal`s Cote-des-Neiges neighborhood at around 11:30 am (1530 GMT).

Police responded and a shootout ensued, with the assailant firing from inside a building with a long gun, Dagher told reporters at the scene.

Frank Vogas told AFP he was buying paint at a shop in the area when the gunfire erupted.

"I see the police storm in, come in from everywhere, and, they raise their guns," the 71-year-old said, explaining that officers told people in the shop to keep low to the floor.

Cote-des-Neiges resident Danny Wilk told AFP that he witnessed the violence unfold.

"I was on the street near my home when I heard one shot, then several more," he said, adding: "I tried to take shelter in the nearby pizzeria, and that`s when I saw the shooter, who looked ready to fire his weapon, dressed in military clothing."

Wilk said he saw the officer, dead on the ground, before the shooter was taken down by police.

Dagher confirmed one male officer, later identified as Mohamed Lamine Benredoune, was shot dead.

Another female officer sustained injuries that were not life threatening.

Dagher also confirmed the gunman was dressed in what appeared to be military-style clothing.

`Avoid speculation` -

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was "horrified" by the violence.

The location of the shooting raised immediate speculation online that it was another incident of antisemitic violence in Canada, a country that has seen an enormous increase in reported crimes targeting Jews since Israel launched its operation in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), a prominent Canadian civil society group, named the slain civilian as Michael Moshe Mizrahi, describing him as "a beloved member of Montreal`s Jewish community."

Dagher stressed the investigation had not yet produced any indications as to motive.

"It`s important to be very careful of rumors," he said.

Getzy Markowitz, a rabbi who works in the area, said the shooting took place in a community with multiple Jewish institutions, including educational centers and a food bank.

"People are asking me if it`s an attack on the Jewish community. I think it would just be completely irresponsible even [to] speak to that at this point, because (all) we know, it was an attack right now on the police," he said.

Quebec Premier Christine Frechette said she was "deeply shaken by the tragic events," while urging people to "avoid speculation," about what transpired.

The area had initially been locked down but officers were began leaving the scene on Monday afternoon, and regular traffic was beginning to resume.