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, September 20, 2026, a gunman opened fire outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville during Yom Kippur services, shooting Constable Jeff Smith multiple times as he engaged the attacker despite life-threatening injuries.
- Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd confirmed Thursday the incident was a hate-motivated crime, citing audio of the attacker shouting, "You are going to die for the Jews," and identified the shooter as 29-year-old Sean Ward, a former Canadian Armed Forces corporal.
- Evidence revealed gasoline and significant ammunition in Ward's truck, indicating a calculated plan for mass casualties; Belleville Police Chief Rodd credited Constable Smith and Const. Michael McCurdy with preventing a potentially devastating tragedy.
- Smith remains in critical but stable condition and is expected to undergo multiple surgeries; Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner condemned the violence, while Jewish Federations of Canada CEO Steven Shulman called the officers "heroes" for preventing a massacre.
- Advocacy group B'nai Brith is urging the government to fund permanent armed security at Jewish institutions, as the incident accelerates calls for national policy changes to combat rising antisemitic threats across Canada.
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84 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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