Police probe gunfire near RDP jail after firearm, vehicle fire found

Montreal police (SPVM) photo taken in Montreal on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. ( Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov)

Montreal police (SPVM) found a firearm and shell casings in a wooded area next to the Rivière-des-Prairies detention centre after possible gunshots were reported Saturday afternoon.

The SPVM says several 911 calls came in around 2 p.m. reporting gunshots near the intersection of Armand-Chaput Avenue and Maurice-Duplessis Boulevard where the centre is located.

Officers searched the area but initially found no weapon, casings or bullet impacts.

A secondary search later that night uncovered a firearm and shell casings in the wooded area.

About 10 minutes after the initial 911 calls about gunfire, police received another 911 call reporting a vehicle fire at Gouin Boulevard West and Trefflé-Berthiaume Street, roughly 3.8 kilometres from where the shots were heard.

The vehicle sustained major damage and was towed for analysis. Police say they don’t yet know how the fire started, and no arrests have been made.

Investigators are looking into whether the two events are connected.