Winnipeg police increase patrols at worship sites after Belleville synagogue shooting

Winnipeg police are boosting patrols at places of worship following a shooting outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., on Yom Kippur. A police officer and a 29-year-old man were both hospitalised.

Winnipeg responds to Yom Kippur synagogue shooting in Ontario

Winnipeg police announced Monday they are increasing patrols around the city's places of worship following a shooting outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, cbc.ca reports.

The move is being taken "as a precaution … to provide community reassurance," the Winnipeg Police Service stated in a social media post.

The shooting occurred around 7 p.m. ET on Sunday — Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar — as worshippers were arriving for services. Ontario's Special Investigations Unit confirmed the incident involved a man with a rifle. Belleville police said an officer encountered the man around 7:10 p.m.; both were transported to hospital. The officer was listed in critical but stable condition, while the 29-year-old man sustained life-threatening injuries.

Ontario police have not disclosed what prompted the shooting or whether the synagogue or Jewish community was deliberately targeted.

Jeff Lieberman, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, called the attack deeply troubling. "It's devastating to hear that a synagogue was targeted in Canada on the holiest day of the year for Jews, where people should be able to go and pray," he said Monday morning.

Lieberman praised the responding officer's actions. "We're very fortunate that the police officer was a hero who stopped this from becoming a real tragedy," he said.

He urged Winnipeg's Jewish community not to be deterred from attending synagogues, either for Yom Kippur or on any other occasion. "We need to be brave and show that acts like this will not keep us away from praying and doing what Jews have done for thousands of years," Lieberman said.

He also pointed to a broader trend he finds alarming. "I grew up here, where every religion felt comfortable doing what they did. I never saw these types of incidents occur when I was younger … there's such a rise of antisemitism around the world and certainly in Canada," he said, adding: "I'm just praying that the rest of the day is a peaceful day for Jews around the world."

With files from Meaghan Ketcheson

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)