Belleville officer shot outside synagogue: wife vows 'we will fight with him'

Const. Jeff Smith remains in hospital after being shot multiple times outside a Belleville synagogue. His wife Ashley released a statement pledging to fight alongside him.

Wife of shot Belleville officer speaks out after synagogue attack

The wife of a Belleville police officer critically injured in a shooting outside a synagogue has broken her silence, saying her husband faces "a very long, difficult road ahead" — but that he will not walk it alone.

Ashley Smith, married to Const. Jeff Smith, published a lengthy statement on Facebook on Tuesday, two days after the shooting at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ont. According to cp24.com, Smith was stationed outside the synagogue on Sunday evening when a gunman armed with a shotgun opened fire on him.

"(Jeff) has an army of love behind him. And I know Jeff. He is the best man I know. He loves his family with his whole heart," 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 the 13-year Belleville Police Service veteran was shot multiple times, including in the neck. As of Tuesday, he remained in hospital in stable condition.

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

In her statement, Ashley Smith expressed appreciation "from the deepest part of my heart and soul" to those who have supported her husband and family since the attack.

"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 wrote. "And I know that my gratitude will never be enough."

She described witnessing "real-life miracles" in the aftermath of the shooting, crediting paramedics, police, an "angel neurosurgeon," trauma teams, doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and personal support workers with her husband's care. She also offered "love and prayers" to the Jewish community "and to every scared soul who was there on Sunday night."

Premier Doug Ford had previously called Const. Smith a "hero," saying he "stopped a tragedy in its footsteps."

Little remains publicly known about the gunman. A Canadian Armed Forces spokesperson told CP24 on Tuesday 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 overseas.

Federal Minister of National Defence David McGuinty, speaking with reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday, called the shooting "very, very unfortunate." Asked whether it pointed to broader cultural issues within the military, McGuinty said efforts to drive "cultural changes" had been underway for more than a decade.

"We are making great progress. 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. I feel very much for the Jewish community in Belleville."

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)