Ontario Synagogue Attack Was Hate-Motivated, Police Say

A former Canadian soldier who shot and wounded a police officer outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on Yom Kippur shouted an antisemitic threat moments before opening fire, police said Thursday, formally describing the attack as hate-motivated.

Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd identified the assailant as 29-year-old Sean Ward and said the man yelled "you're going to die for the Jews" before shooting at Const. Jeff Smith, who was posted outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue. Audio of the encounter was played at a news conference.

"Make no mistake, this was a targeted attack against the Jewish community," Rodd said, adding that the suspect had the means, motive and mechanisms to cause mass casualties.

Smith was struck multiple times in the head and body but managed to leave his vehicle and confront the attacker, remaining engaged for nearly three minutes despite life-threatening injuries, Rodd said. A second officer arrived and joined the exchange of fire.

According to Rodd, the two officers were the only obstacle preventing Ward from entering the synagogue and carrying out what investigators believe was a broader attack. Ward had additional weapons and a substantial amount of ammunition, the chief said.

About two dozen people were inside the synagogue at the time, observing the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. None was hurt.

Ward was critically wounded and died the next day. Smith, a 13-year veteran of the Belleville Police Service, faces multiple surgeries and a long recovery from gunshot wounds, fractures and shrapnel injuries.

The Department of National Defence has said Ward served as an infantry soldier with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and left the Canadian Armed Forces in 2022 at the rank of corporal. He did not deploy during his service.

Investigators are examining items found in Ward's vehicle, including extra gasoline, to assess how much damage he may have intended to inflict, Rodd said. Ontario's police watchdog has said as many as 30 shots were fired, with nearby vehicles and homes struck. Synagogue president Norman Weddum has said bullets pierced a street-facing window and hit the opposite wall.

The attack has drawn attention amid heightened concern about antisemitism in Canada. Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, the province's public safety minister, said the assault affected him personally as a Jewish Canadian and praised the community's response, noting that leaders from a nearby mosque brought flowers to the synagogue in a gesture of sorrow and solidarity.

"We will never normalize antisemitism or hate of any kind," Kerzner said.