Belleville synagogue shooting was hate-motivated crime, police chief says
Police say evidence shows the suspect intended to target Jewish worshippers and carried combustible materials and ammunition that could have caused mass casualties.
- On Sunday, Sept. 20, a 29-year-old gunman ambushed Constable Jeff Smith outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville during Yom Kippur services, leaving Smith critically injured and the assailant dead.
- Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd confirmed the incident was a targeted, hate-motivated attack, noting the suspect shouted, 'You are going to die for the Jews,' and had the means for a 'mass casualty' event.
- Smith, a 13-year veteran, sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his head and body while parked outside; Const. Michael McCurdy arrived shortly after and engaged the shooter, with Rodd stating, 'The only thing that stopped entry into the synagogue to execute the intent were the two officers.'
- Kingston Jewish Council President Debbie Fitzerman expressed the community's distress, saying, 'It's terrifying really how close we came to such a massacre,' even as Smith 'continues to make positive progress in his recovery.'
- The incident has renewed discussions about security for Jewish religious events, with some leaders arguing that increased guards separate communities from society, putting them 'behind ghetto walls,' while others emphasize the need for safe spaces.
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81 Articles
Cops: Synagogue Shooter Had Means to Cause 'Mass Casualty'
A form Canadian soldier who opened fire on a police officer outside an Ontario synagogue during Yom Kippur shouted "you're going to die for the Jews" moments before shooting, police said Thursday, declaring the attack was motivated by hate. Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd disclosed the alleged words of 29-year-old...
In the armed attack in front of a synagogue in Canada on the Jewish holiday of Jom Kippur, an "inconceivable tragedy" had been prevented. The shooter had the means to kill many people, according to the Canadian police.
Shooting outside Canadian synagogue ‘deliberate attack’ against Jews, police chief says
“The loss of life and irreversible damage that could have been rippled through our community for generations cannot be overstated,” said Murray Rodd, the Belleville police chief.
‘They are both heroes’: Belleville police confirm officers stopped ‘hate-motivated’ attack on synagogue
The heroism of two Belleville police officers prevented a deliberate, hate-motivated attack on the city’s Jewish community from becoming a mass-casualty event after one of them was shot multiple times and continued confronting the gunman, police said Thursday.
Belleville synagogue shooting leaves Queen’s community "afraid to be Jewish"
A hate-motivated shooting outside a Belleville synagogue is heightening concerns about safety among Jewish students at Queen’s and members of Kingston’s Jewish community. The shooting took place outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue on Sept. 20 as congregants gathered to observe Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. A police officer stationed outside the synagogue was shot multiple times after a 29-year-old man arrived armed with a s…
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