MONTREAL -- Police say a 60-year-old man shot his partner before killing himself in a downtown Montreal apartment on Christmas morning.

Const. Caroline Chevrefils says the 48-year-old woman died in hospital hours later.

Police say they responded to a call around 10:45 a.m. about a man who had allegedly shot a woman in an apartment.

First responders discovered a woman suffering from gunshot wounds and brought her to hospital in critical condition.

Police say the man died at the scene.

Chevrefils says he killed himself with the murder weapon.

Police say the woman was the city's 24th homicide victim of the year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 25, 2019.