Shooting near Ontario synagogue on Yom Kippur declared hate crime, officer badly hurt

A gunman opened fire outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario on Yom Kippur, critically wounding a police officer. Authorities have confirmed the attack was hate-motivated.

Belleville synagogue shooting on holiest Jewish night ruled a hate-motivated attack

Canadian authorities have confirmed that a shooting outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, was a deliberate, hate-motivated assault on the Jewish community, bbc.com reports.

The attack took place on Sunday night outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue during Yom Kippur, the holiest night in the Jewish calendar. Belleville police chief Murray Rodd stated at a Thursday news conference that the incident was "a deliberate attack directed at members of the Jewish community".

Constable Jeff Smith, the first officer to respond, was shot multiple times — including wounds to his head and body — while still inside his patrol car. Despite his injuries, Smith exited the vehicle and engaged the armed suspect, continuing to resist the attacker until backup arrived. "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, Constable Mike McCurdy, arrived roughly three minutes later and "joined the active gunfight, helping to bring the violent attack to an end," according to Rodd. McCurdy was not injured. Both officers discharged their firearms.

Approximately 20 to 30 shots were fired in total. Smith remains hospitalised in critical but stable condition and is expected to undergo multiple surgeries for serious head trauma. "He's making progress every day," Rodd said.

The gunman was identified as Sean Ward, 29, from Quinte West, a community near Belleville approximately 170 kilometres east of Toronto. Ward was transported to hospital with serious injuries and subsequently died.

Toronto police announced increased patrols outside synagogues and other places of worship as a precautionary measure following the incident.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and other political leaders condemned the antisemitic violence. Carney wrote on X that "Jewish people must be able to worship safely. To live free, open, proud Jewish lives."

Noah Shack, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said in a statement that "if not for the extraordinary bravery of Constable Jeff Smith, Canadians would have experienced the type of mass-casualty terror attack our security services have warned is a realistic possibility." Shack called on Canadian leaders to "take urgent and concrete actions" against threats targeting the Jewish community.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)