One police officer is in critical condition after exchanging gunfire with a suspect in a shooting near Belleville’s Sons of Jacob synagogue in Canada during Yom Kippur services on Sunday evening, according to Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
The suspected shooter was identified as 29-year-old Sean Ward from the nearby city of Quinte West by Belleville Police Deputy Chief Sherry Meeks.
Ward, who was armed with a shotgun, was shot by a police officer at the scene and is in life-threatening condition. No one inside the synagogue at the time of the attack was wounded.
Meeks highlighted that while the shooter’s motive has not yet been determined by law enforcement, the attack has had a significant impact on Belleville’s Jewish community.
“We recognize the concern and uncertainty many may be feeling, particularly given that this occurred near the Sons of Jacob Synagogue during one of the holiest days in the Jewish faith,” she said. “Let me be very clear. Antisemitism, hate, and violence have no place in our community.”
At a press conference on Monday, SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette stated that an estimated 20-30 total shots were fired and that bullets struck the synagogue in addition to homes, a police vehicle, and civilian vehicles in the area.
Denette said that a team consisting of multiple investigators has been dispatched to investigate the shooting, canvass for witnesses, and look for footage of the incident.
According to Denette, a parallel investigation into the suspected shooter and his motive will be conducted by the Belleville Police Service.
Meeks added that a heightened police presence and increased patrols have been ordered across Belleville, including around places of worship in the aftermath of the attack.
The Toronto Police Service announced that, in light of the shooting, police patrols have also increased around Toronto synagogues.
Synagogue president recounts shooting to CNN
Synagogue President Norm Weddum told CNN that the officer, who had been hired to protect the synagogue during Yom Kippur services, had saved the lives of everyone who had attended the evening services and that the building had been hit with multiple bullets.
The officer was parked near the synagogue in an unmarked vehicle, noticed the shooter approaching the building, and then made contact with the shooter, Weddum told CNN.
Weddum said he heard a series of bangs as he welcomed congregants to the evening services and went to investigate.
“That’s when we heard it again - ‘bang, bang, bang ’-and they were very loud this time so we realized it was definitely shots being fired,” he recounted to CNN. “We all ran back, I closed the doors of the auditorium, and I yelled out ‘everybody get down.’”
Weddum added that once the gunshots stopped, he exited the synagogue, where a heavy police presence had gathered. He said that police cordoned off the area and began investigating the shooting.
Canadian PM Carney, Israel's Foreign Ministry condemns shooting
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the shooting in a post on X/Twitter on Monday, and vowed that his government will do everything it can to hold the shooter accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
“Jewish people must be able to worship safely. To live free, open, proud Jewish lives,” Carney asserted. “ My thoughts are with the injured officer and his family, and the entire Jewish community.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry decried the attack as an escalation of the ongoing antisemitism crisis in Canada and called for changes to be made to protect the Jewish community from further violence.
“Our thoughts are with the police officer who acted with remarkable courage and was wounded in the line of duty. We pray for his full and speedy recovery,” the Foreign Ministry said in a social media statement.
The Foreign Ministry continued to cite unaddressed public incitement and anti-Israel policies as factors that fuel the spread of antisemitism.
“Israel stands in solidarity with Canada’s Jewish community, which faces an increasingly threatening reality,” the Foreign Ministry added.
Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, labeled the shooting as a terror attack and called for immediate action to protect the Jewish community.
“Thanks to the bravery of the police, lives have been saved,” Moed said on X/Twitter. “However, so much more must be done immediately to protect the lives of the Jewish community!”
He added that Israel has repeatedly offered Canada support in efforts to combat antisemitism, and will continue to provide any assistance required.