Canada · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
SIU Investigates Shooting Outside Sons Of Jacob Synagogue In Belleville, Ontario
Gunfire outside Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville injures police officer and man, Yom Kippur. SIU investigating; suspect Sean Ward identified, officer Const. Jeff Smith hospitalized in critical condition.
Whether the synagogue was deliberately targeted.
11 of 12 outlets skipped it: suspect vehicle description: gunman drove up in a truck.
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The Times of Israel
“The province’s Special Investigations Unit said it would make sense to believe that the synagogue was deliberately targeted”Read the original ↗
CBC
“Police have not said what led to the shooting or whether the synagogue or Jewish community was targeted.”Read the original ↗
One outlet reads as near-deliberate targeting; another stresses no targeting determination.
Shooting near Yom Kippur
A police officer was shot outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on Sunday night as Jewish community members gathered to mark Yom Kippur, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said. Belleville Police said the officer encountered an individual in the area of Bleecker Avenue and Victoria Avenue around 7 p.m., and the officer and the individual sustained injuries and were transported to hospital.
The province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said it was investigating, and the SIU said the officer was injured and the other individual is in life-threatening condition. The shooting occurred at about 7:10 p.m. on Sunday near a residential area in the city’s east end, about 190 km east of Toronto, and the shooter was a 29-year-old man in life-threatening condition while the officer was in critical-stable condition.
Identifications and the SIU
CBC identified the suspect as Sean Ward, 29, of neighbouring Quinte West, and it identified the wounded officer as Const. Jeff Smith.
Sons of Jacob Synagogue president Norman Weddum recounted the moment he heard shots ring out, saying, "It was boom, boom, boom," as he ushered people into the Belleville sanctuary to begin services for Yom Kippur.
The SIU estimated that the exchange of gunfire happened near the Sons of Jacob Synagogue as about 25 worshippers were gathering for evening prayers, and Weddum said about 20 shots were fired through the synagogue’s front stained-glass windows.
The SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette told reporters at the scene that "That officer returned fire, and then there was another officer" and she said both the initial officer and the man were struck by gunfire.
Condemnations and next steps
Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the shooting outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, posting on X that "Jewish people must be able to worship safely." Premier Doug Ford called the incident disgusting and said he expected "that all those responsible are arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law," as the Toronto Police increased patrols at synagogues and other places of worship out of an abundance of caution.
The Globe and Mail reported that the SIU handles cases involving police that result in death or serious injury and said the Belleville Police Service officer was in "critical-stable condition," while the 29-year-old man was in life-threatening condition. CHCH said the SIU urged anyone with information about the investigation, including video or photos, to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or online, and it reported that four investigators and two forensic investigators had been assigned to the case.