Police shootout injures 3 in Montreal's West Island

An exchange of gunfire involving the police injured three people, two of them seriously, in Montreal's West Island, on Sunday evening.

Around 8 p.m., someone called 911 to report a conflict that may have involved at least one gun, according to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).

A spokesperson for the SPVM said officers rushed to the scene, near the corner of de Salaberry Boulevard and Davignon Street, in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, and "took action against the suspect."

The police provided no further detail because the investigation into the incident had been transferred into the hands of Quebec's police watchdog, the BEI.

Sources told Radio-Canada that when police arrived, a suspect tried to steal a vehicle to flee. He then fired toward the police, sparking a violent exchange of gunfire.

Between 30 and 40 shots were fired, hitting the suspect and two other people.

The three people who were shot, all adult men, were transferred to the hospital. Both the suspect and one of the other men were seriously injured.

The BEI, which investigates instances involving police where people are injured or killed, said in a news release that it had assigned seven investigators to the case — an unusually large number of investigators.

The BEI also said the SQ, Quebec's provincial police force, was investigating the incident that occurred before the police shooting.