Police officers walk in front of the Sons of Jacob Synagogue, where a police officer was shot outside a Yom Kippur gathering, in Belleville, Ont., Monday.Patrick Doyle/Reuters
A shooting at a small synagogue on a residential street in Belleville, Ont., left a police officer in critical condition and bullet holes in the building’s stained-glass windows as worshippers gathered on Sunday night to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
A 29-year-old man armed with a shotgun opened fire on a policeman stationed outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue around 7:10 p.m., initiating a shootout, said Kristy Denette, spokeswoman for the Special Investigations Unit. The agency handles cases involving Ontario police that result in death or serious injury.
The suspect was also injured and is in hospital in life-threatening condition, according to the SIU. The officer, Constable Jeff Smith of the Belleville Police Service, is in critical but stable condition. A second officer also fired their weapon, Ms. Denette said.
“There are dozens of bullet holes in the street behind me, and some homes have been hit and there are some vehicles with shot-out windows, that sort of thing,” she told reporters. “So it would have been quite the scene.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney and other politicians condemned the shooting as an attack on the Jewish community. Canada has seen an increase in violence targeting Jewish institutions in recent months, including attacks at synagogues, schools and businesses. Many institutions have ramped up security for the high holidays. Police have so far not commented on a specific motive for the attack in Belleville.
Police work the scene of Sunday's shooting outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue on Monday.Sammy Kogan/The Globe and Mail
Unlike most of the other attacks, which have targeted Jewish institutions in large urban areas, Sunday’s shooting occurred at a synagogue with a tiny congregation in a small city. The Sons of Jacob has a membership of roughly 35 families and doesn’t even have a part-time rabbi.
“Who would think it would happen here, of all places?” Norm Weddum, president of the congregation, said in an interview.
Less than half an hour before the attack, Mr. Weddum said hello to Constable Smith, who was stationed in the synagogue’s parking lot in an unmarked vehicle, and thanked him for his work.
Mr. Weddum said shooting erupted outside the synagogue as about 25 worshippers were milling around, about to begin evening prayers. He yelled at the crowd to take cover in the building’s sanctuary. Then, about 20 shots were fired through the synagogue’s front stained-glass windows, he said.
“All hell broke loose at that point,” he said. “We’re all crouched down. The glass is breaking.”
Among the crowd was Mary Cohen, the congregation’s treasurer, who dropped to the floor and then hid behind some curtains with her husband.
“It’s our most holy holiday of the year, and to experience something like that on this kind of a day, it’s a trauma to all the members,” she said.
Mr. Weddum credited Constable Smith with preventing a tragedy.
“If that officer had not been there, I probably wouldn’t be talking to you right now. Simple as that,” he said, adding, “That officer, he saved everyone’s lives in that building.”
Belleville Police Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks tears up slightly as she speaks to media at the scene of the shooting on Monday.Sammy Kogan/The Globe and Mail
Belleville Police Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks said Constable Smith is recovering in intensive care. He is part of the emergency response unit and a 12-year member of the police force.
“While he continues to face a significant road to recovery, his condition has stabilized, and we remain hopeful and encouraged by his progress,” she said.
Deputy Chief Meeks identified the suspect as Sean Ward, 29, of Quinte West, Ont.
Ms. Denette of the SIU said the suspect was critically injured in the shootout and had no vital signs, “but was sort of brought back to life, so to speak.”
The scene was cordoned off with yellow police tape Monday as police scoured the area for evidence. Ammunition casings and what appeared to be a long gun were still visible on the pavement, as were several vehicles with what looked like bullet scars and broken glass.
Scott Granville, who lives around the corner from the synagogue, was out for a walk Sunday evening when he heard an explosion of gunfire. He said he heard between 20 and 30 shots exchanged in a relatively short time.
“I knew right away that it was a shootout, not just shots, because there were different calibres. You could tell there were different guns going off,” Mr. Granville said.
Local resident Melissa Walker pauses at the scene of the shooting, which was cordoned off with police tape Monday.Sammy Kogan/The Globe and Mail
Melissa Walker was working in her front yard on Victoria Street about a block away when she heard the gunfire and approached to see what was happening. She saw a gunman in a white T-shirt crouched low at the side of a vehicle, she said, as police fired at him from their location nearer to the synagogue.
“I saw him get shot,” Ms. Walker said.
“The closer I went, shots were still ringing out, and my body just told me not to go further.”
Then police pulled up and shouted at the suspect to get down, she said. At that point he was already down and looked to have been hit multiple times, she said. Then the officers kicked away what appeared to be a long gun, she added.
Darren Millar, who also lives nearby, said he was just around the corner sitting on his porch when he heard gunfire.
“I heard three loud explosions. I guess it was a shotgun, but it sounded like a bomb or a grenade or something. It was really loud. It was louder than any gun I’ve ever heard,” he said.
About 30 seconds after the shooting stopped, he jumped in his vehicle and drove down the street toward the synagogue. His dash cam captured the scene as three officers ran toward the suspect and two others stood over him as he lay on the ground.
Mr. Weddum said he sees the attack as targeting the Jewish community.
“We view it as a hate crime,” he said. “I mean, you know, a guy shows up on a Sunday, walking towards a synagogue that is packed due to the high holiday services, carrying a rifle. Now he is not out for a Sunday stroll.”
Deputy Chief Meeks said there was no threat to public safety but added that police have increased patrols in Belleville and are working closely with community leaders.
“Let me be very clear – antisemitism, hate and violence have no place in our community. Every person deserves to feel safe when attending a place of worship, gathering with loved ones or participating in community life,” she told reporters.
The SIU work the scene of the shooting on Monday.Sammy Kogan/The Globe and Mail
A national-security source told The Globe and Mail that the RCMP-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, which oversees terrorism investigations, was not involved in the Belleville investigation as of Monday. However, the source said the Ontario Provincial Police’s Provincial Anti-Terrorism Section is assisting. The Globe is not identifying the source because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Mr. Carney condemned the shooting as an attack on the Jewish community.
“Jewish people must be able to worship safely. To live free, open, proud Jewish lives,” he said in a statement on Monday. “Canada’s government will do everything in our power to support law enforcement in ensuring that the perpetrator is held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford paid tribute to the officer injured in the shooting, calling him a hero who “stopped a tragedy.”
“I find it disgusting, someone would go into a synagogue, or potentially go into a synagogue, on Yom Kippur or any day, or any place of worship, it’s disgusting,” Mr. Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park on Monday.
He also said the suspect should face consequences: “Whoever the assailant was needs to be charged, and I don’t care if he’s in the hospital or not. Unacceptable.”
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SIU investigators are canvassing for witnesses and plan to review footage from officers’ body-worn cameras and vehicles. Ms. Denette said the team expects to spend two days processing the scene.
“It’s quite a complex scene and there’s a lot of cartridge cases to collect,” she said. “There’s multiple firearms. There’s a number of vehicles that are involved.”
Meanwhile, police in Durham Region said Monday that they charged a 19-year-old man with making threats motivated by hate for alleged online posts about carrying out a shooting at an area synagogue.
With reports from Laura Stone, Mercedes Stephenson and Tu Thanh Ha