Belleville officer shot outside synagogue fights for life; wife vows to stand by him

Const. Jeff Smith, shot multiple times outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., remains in hospital. His wife Ashley says the family will fight alongside him.

Wife of shot Belleville officer: 'He is fighting. So we will fight with him.'

Const. Jeff Smith, a 13-year veteran of the Belleville Police Service who was shot multiple times outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue on Sunday evening, faces a "very long, difficult road ahead," his wife Ashley Smith said in a public statement Tuesday — as vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca reported.

Writing on Facebook, Ashley described her husband as "the best man I know" and said he would not be walking that road alone.

"(Jeff) has an army of love behind him," she wrote. "He cares deeply. He gives freely. He shows up. He is a man of integrity. He is my safest place. And right now, he is fighting. So we will fight with him."

Sources told CP24 that Smith was shot multiple times, including in the neck, when a gunman armed with a shotgun opened fire on him while he was stationed outside the synagogue. As of Tuesday, he remained in hospital in stable condition.

The suspect, Sean Ward, 29, of Quinte West, died in hospital on Sept. 22 following an exchange of gunfire with police.

In her statement, Ashley Smith offered her gratitude to everyone who had shown support since the shooting.

"I cannot begin to express what the outpouring of love and support has meant to us. I know there are things happening every day that I don't even know about yet. Messages being sent. Prayers being said. People checking in. Hands reaching out," she said. "And I know that my gratitude will never be enough."

She described witnessing "real-life miracles" in the days since Sunday, crediting paramedics, police, an "angel neurosurgeon," trauma teams, doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and personal support workers. She also extended "love and prayers" to the Jewish community and "to every scared soul who was there on Sunday night."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford previously called Smith a "hero," stating that he "stopped a tragedy in its footsteps."

Little is publicly known about the gunman. A Canadian Armed Forces spokesperson told CP24 that Ward enrolled in the military in July 2017 and was released in June 2022 at the rank of corporal. He served as an infantry soldier with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry but did not deploy.

Federal Minister of National Defence David McGuinty, speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday, called the shooting "very, very unfortunate." Asked whether it raised broader concerns about the military, McGuinty said cultural reform efforts had been underway for more than a decade.

"We have changed the standards for recruitment. We have changed the standard, for example, for probationary periods from nine weeks until the end of your basic training," he said. "There have been improvements. There is always work to be done."

McGuinty added that he feels "very much" for the Jewish community in Belleville, noting that one of the largest synagogues in his riding is located in the region.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)