Ontario Synagogue Shooting: Suspect Named as SIU Probes Police Gunfire

A 29-year-old man armed with a shotgun fired on a police officer stationed outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, during Yom Kippur, setting off an exchange of gunfire that left both the assailant and a veteran officer wounded, the province's police watchdog said.

At a press briefing, Belleville Police Service Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks identified the suspect as Sean Ward, a 29-year-old from Quinte West. The wounded officer was named as Const. Jeff Smith, who joined the force in December 2013 and has served for nearly 13 years, most of it with its Emergency Response Unit.

According to the Special Investigations Unit, the province's police watchdog, preliminary information indicates the man arrived in a truck at about 7 p.m. on Sunday and opened fire on an officer posted outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue, near Victoria and Bleecker Avenue. The officer returned fire, and a second officer who arrived at the scene also discharged her weapon.

SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette said the officer and the suspect were both struck. The officer was listed in critical but stable condition, while the man remained in life-threatening condition. Meeks said Smith's condition had stabilised and that he was recovering in intensive care, though he faces what she described as a significant road to recovery.

Denette said the scene was complex, with a large number of cartridge cases to collect, multiple firearms and several vehicles involved. Nearby vehicles and homes were struck by bullets, she said, and the scene appeared to stretch about half a block from the synagogue. There was no forensic confirmation as to whether the synagogue building itself was hit.

Investigators are working to secure body-worn camera footage from the officers involved as well as an in-car camera. Denette said it was difficult to provide a precise sequence of events until that material could be reviewed.

The SIU has invoked its mandate and is leading the investigation into the officers' actions. Belleville police are conducting a parallel criminal investigation that will examine the suspect's actions and any possible motive. Police have not established a motive or said whether the synagogue or the Jewish community was targeted.

Meeks acknowledged the impact on Belleville's Jewish community, noting the shooting occurred near the synagogue on one of the holiest days in the Jewish faith. She said patrols had been increased and a heightened police presence would be maintained across the city, including around places of worship, while authorities work with community leaders. Police said there was no ongoing threat to public safety. The synagogue cancelled its remaining Yom Kippur services.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the shooting in a social media post, saying Jewish people must be able to worship safely and live free, open and proud Jewish lives. He said the federal government would support law enforcement in holding the perpetrator accountable. The incident comes months after Carney warned that Canada was failing its Jewish community amid a rise in antisemitism, citing shootings at Jewish schools, firebombings of synagogues and attacks on community centres and Jewish-owned businesses.