Belleville synagogue shooting declared hate-motivated attack against Jewish community

Police say gunman Sean Ward deliberately targeted worshippers at a Belleville synagogue during Yom Kippur. The officer he shot remains in critical but stable condition.

Belleville synagogue gunman targeted Jewish worshippers during Yom Kippur, police confirm

The shooting near a Belleville synagogue on Sunday evening has been classified as a hate-motivated attack deliberately aimed at the Jewish community, Global News Crime reports. Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd confirmed the designation Thursday afternoon, stating the assault was timed to coincide with "one of the holiest observances of the year."

Police allege Sean Ward, 29, of Quinte West, opened fire at Const. Jeff Smith, who was stationed outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue as part of his regular duties during Yom Kippur celebrations. "He was then ambushed on a second pass," Rodd said, noting that Smith had observed Ward walk by earlier that day without incident.

A video recording from near the scene, played by police at Thursday's press conference, appears to show Ward telling Smith: "You are going to die for the Jews."

Approximately two dozen people were inside the synagogue at the time of the attack. None of those inside were injured.

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit confirmed Tuesday that Ward died in hospital Monday night after the confrontation. Smith remains hospitalised in critical but stable condition and is expected to undergo multiple surgeries for serious head trauma. Rodd said Smith was shot before he had even exited his vehicle and was struck multiple times, yet continued to engage the attacker.

"Despite suffering life-threatening injuries within moments of encountering the armed suspect, Constable Smith exited his vehicle and engaged the attacker," Rodd said. A second officer, Michael McCurdy, intervened within three minutes and was not injured. "Their actions represent the very definition of courageous policing," the chief added.

Rodd said investigators found materials in Ward's car that would be considered "combustible," and that additional evidence will corroborate the attacker's intent "in more detail," though he declined to specify further. "The suspect had the means, the motive and the mechanisms to cause a mass casualty and the destruction of the Jewish synagogue," he said.

Norm Weddum, president of the Sons of Jacob congregation, said he was inside the building during the attack and was not fully aware of what was unfolding outside. "After seeing this video, I'm almost at a loss for words. It's very sobering," he told reporters. "He had the means to eliminate all of us in the synagogue and then probably destroy the synagogue as well."

Military sources told Global News that Ward served with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry for approximately five years before being discharged after refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Speaking on condition of anonymity, those sources said Ward had expressed a range of pandemic-related conspiracy theories, including blaming Jewish people for the spread of the virus. A military spokesperson declined to comment on the conspiracy allegations, citing the Privacy Act.

Documents obtained by Global News show Ward was based at CFB Edmonton when he declined the vaccine on "religious grounds" and was deemed "unsuitable for further military service." A lawsuit filed in Federal Court on his behalf claimed Ward had incurred $140,000 in financial losses following his dismissal and alleged that he and other plaintiffs suffered "permanent psychological, physical and emotional trauma," post-traumatic stress disorder, and "loss of trust in others." The federal government denied those allegations.

Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said he spent two days in Belleville meeting with police, the mayor, and the community following the attack. "It's one thing to say hate has no place here in our province and in our country, but we already know that," he said. "We have to go further and faster."

Simon Wolle, CEO of Jewish organisation B'nai Brith, said the police confirmation of a hate-motivated attack was not surprising, but nonetheless difficult to absorb. "I'm not surprised. I feel angry, sad, infuriated," he said, adding that fear is reverberating in Jewish communities across the country. "This is not a Jewish community problem. This attack was on the Jewish community. This is a Canadian problem."

Smith's wife posted a message on Facebook Wednesday thanking the public for its support, and also extended condolences to the Jewish community and Belleville residents. "Please know that your love, your prayers and your support have reached us. We are deeply grateful," she wrote.

A crowdfunding page established on behalf of Canada's Jewish community to support Smith and his family has raised more than $560,000 since the shooting. "In Judaism, 'pikuach nefesh,' the preservation of human life, is among our highest obligations," organisers wrote. "Const. Smith fulfilled that obligation not through words, but through courage."

Source: Global News Crime