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Belleville synagogue shooting deemed a hate-motivated crime, police chief says
The police chief says the Sunday shooting outside a Belleville, Ont., synagogue was a targeted, hate-motivated attack against the Jewish community.
Chief Murray Rodd says before firing at an officer outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue, the suspect yelled, “You’re going to die for the Jews.”
“This was a deliberate attack directed at members of the Jewish community during one of the holiest observances of the year,” Rodd says.
“The suspect had the means, the motive and the mechanisms to cause a mass casualty and the destruction of the Jewish synagogue.”
Const. Jeff Smith was taken to hospital in critical but stable condition after a man armed with a shotgun allegedly opened fire near the synagogue on the evening of Yom Kippur.
Police say Smith continues to make progress in his recovery. However, he did sustain multiple gunshot wounds to his head and body, and is expected to undergo multiple surgeries related to serious head trauma.
Officers say Smith was shot before he had the opportunity to exit the vehicle. He got out of the vehicle and engaged the attacker, where Smith was shot multiple times.
None of the roughly two dozen people inside the synagogue were injured.
“The loss of life and irreversible damage that could’ve been rippled through our community for generations cannot be overstated. Innocent people have gathered to observe Yom Kippur and because of actions of the responding officer, they were able to return home safely to their families,” he says.
The suspected shooter, 29-year-old Sean Ward, was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition. He died of his injuries Tuesday. The Canadian Armed Forces have said that Ward was a former soldier who was let go from the military in 2022.
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Investigators say about two minutes and 47 seconds into the exchange of gunfire, a second Belleville police officer arrived on the scene and immediately moved toward the danger.
Const. Michael McCurdy has been identified as the second officer to join the active gunfight, hoping to bring it to an end. He was left uninjured.
Rodd says both officers confronted the attacker and prevented what would’ve become an “unimaginable tragedy.”
“I think sometimes we use words like service, duty and courage without really stopping to think about what those words mean,” says Barb Enright Miller, vice chair of the Belleville Police Service Board.
“On September 20, we saw exactly what they mean. Our officer ran towards danger. His training, professionalism and most importantly, his and the service’s commitment to protecting the people of this community changed the trajectory of what could’ve been an even greater tragedy.”
READ MORE: Wife of officer injured in Belleville synagogue shooting shares emotional tribute
