Incident Report // Comprehensive Forensic Dossier

The École Polytechnique Massacre

An analytical reconstruction of the December 6, 1989, anti-feminist attack at the École Polytechnique de Montréal, profiling the perpetrator’s methodology and the societal impact of the event.

The École Polytechnique massacre stands as a profound instance of gender-based violence. The perpetrator’s explicit motive was rooted in deep-seated misogyny and an anti-feminist ideology, viewing women’s participation in traditionally male-dominated fields—specifically engineering—as an affront.

In his manifesto, Lépine articulated a desire to target “feminists,” revealing a pathology where he externalized personal failures and societal frustrations onto women. The attack was not spontaneous; it was a targeted, premeditated act designed to punish women for their professional and academic ambitions.

Initial Entry: The perpetrator entered the École Polytechnique de Montréal armed with a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle and a hunting knife.

Classroom Encounter: Lépine accessed a mechanical engineering classroom, ordered the male students to leave, and commanded the women to move to one side of the room before initiating gunfire.

Escalation and Conclusion: The perpetrator roamed the school, continuing the assault on female students for approximately 20 minutes before taking his own life.

• Exhibit A (Manifesto): A written document left by the perpetrator confirmed his explicit political and ideological motives regarding feminism.
• Exhibit B (Methodology): The deliberate separation of victims based on sex confirmed the targeted, gender-based nature of the attack.
• Exhibit C (Emergency Response): The event prompted a massive re-evaluation of police response protocols for active shooter incidents, as initial coordination was later heavily criticized.
• Exhibit D (Weaponry): The use of a semi-automatic rifle sparked long-standing national debates regarding gun control and the availability of high-capacity firearms in Canada.

Fourteen women were murdered during the attack. They are remembered as follows: