ABSTRACT

A 29-year-old man armed with a shotgun opened fire on a police officer stationed outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on Sunday evening during Yom Kippur, according to Ontario's Special Investigations Unit. The SIU said preliminary evidence showed the man arrived in a truck around 7 p.m. and fired at an officer outside the synagogue, about 110 miles east of Toronto, before the officer returned fire and a second officer arrived and also fired, leaving the alleged gunman with life-threatening injuries and the officer seriously wounded. Belleville police Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks identified the alleged shooter as Sean Ward of the nearby city of Quinte West and the officer as Const. Jeff Smith, a 13-year veteran of the force. People were inside the synagogue at the time; no one inside was injured. The SIU is investigating the officers' actions, while Belleville police are conducting a parallel criminal investigation that will examine the man's actions and possible motive. Police have not established a motive or said whether the synagogue or the Jewish community was targeted.

The Jerusalem Post

Ontario police watchdog investigates shooting outside Belleville synagogue during Yom Kippur

Sep 21, 2026, 5:52 PM

Context

The SIU, the civilian agency that takes over in Ontario when police shoot at someone, said nearby vehicles and homes were damaged, and spokesperson Kristy Denette said the scene appeared to stretch about half a block from the synagogue. In a Jerusalem Post analysis, columnist Zvika Klein reported that the SIU first described the weapon as a rifle and later as a shotgun. Klein also reported that the first statement from Belleville police said an officer had 'encountered' an individual near an intersection and did not say why an officer was there, and that the force has had nothing to add since because the SIU has invoked its mandate.

According to Klein, Smith was waiting in an unmarked car outside the synagogue when the gunman opened fire. The synagogue's president, Norm Weddum, told the Jerusalem Post that the congregation had never received a threat. Belleville is a city of about 55,000, roughly 110 miles east of Toronto, and Weddum described its Jewish community as small, Klein wrote. Weddum described hearing shots, congregants moving toward the doors and then a second round of fire; he said he moved everyone back into the sanctuary, shut the wooden doors and told people to get on the floor. Klein reported that bullets came through the windows and that one stained-glass window has about 20 holes in it. PBS NewsHour reported that there was no forensic confirmation Monday as to whether the synagogue itself was hit.

Klein reported that Smith and the alleged gunman were both hit, that houses and cars on the street were damaged, and that no one inside was hurt. Meeks said the wounded officer faced 'a significant road to recovery.' Meeks acknowledged the shooting's impact on Belleville's Jewish community, particularly because it happened outside the synagogue during Yom Kippur, and said antisemitism, hate and violence have no place in the community and that every person deserves to feel safe attending a place of worship. PBS reported that the synagogue canceled its remaining Yom Kippur services following the shooting, and that police increased patrols and their presence around places of worship while saying there was no ongoing threat to public safety.

Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis told PBS it was too soon to say whether the shooting was a hate crime but said 'the circumstances are where it happened, when it happened' and that it 'points towards that.' Klein reported that Ellis told CBC he hopes the SIU investigation gets to 'the root cause,' and that Ellis said he cried when he heard the news. Klein noted that the SIU's role is to decide whether Smith and his colleague were justified in firing, and that the question of why a 29-year-old showed up on that corner with a gun is not the SIU's question and no one has said publicly who is responsible for asking it.

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, and that the federal government would support law enforcement in ensuring the perpetrator is held accountable, according to PBS. PBS noted the shooting came months after Carney warned that Canada was failing its Jewish community amid a surge in antisemitism, citing shootings at Jewish schools, firebombings of synagogues and attacks on community centers and Jewish-owned businesses. Klein reported that in June, Carney stood in Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto's oldest Reform synagogue, and said 'Canada's civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,' noted that more than two-thirds of religion-motivated hate crimes the previous year had targeted Jews, who are about 1% of Canadians, and announced another $75 million for security.

Klein reported that the $75 million went to the Canada Community Security Program, which describes itself as time-limited funding for communities at risk of hate-motivated crime, covers up to 70% of eligible costs — compared with half under the program it replaced — does not reimburse spending made before a funding agreement is signed, and qualifies guards only as 'time-limited third-party licensed security personnel.' Klein wrote that Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Monday he was thankful such an experienced officer had been posted at the synagogue and added, 'We never have enough security.' Klein also reported that Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said on Sunday night that Jews 'should not need police presence to observe Yom Kippur.' Klein stated the best argument against his analysis is Chow's, taken seriously — that a country answering antisemitism by stationing police outside synagogues has accepted antisemitism as permanent — and that a harder objection concerns the guns, citing an attack on Yom Kippur last year at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester, England, where armed police shot an attacker about seven minutes after the first emergency call and one of the two men who died appeared to have been hit by a police bullet.

Klein wrote that he would not guess at Ward's motive, adding that whatever it was, Smith was there first. A congregant, Douglas Lobel, told PBS the gunfire lasted two or three minutes and 'seemed like an eternity,' and said a police officer eventually entered the synagogue and asked whether anyone had been hurt. Lobel said no one inside was injured and described the officer as a hero who saved their lives, adding that he did not know what could have happened if the officer had not been there. Klein reported Lobel told CP24 that those inside were wondering whether the gunman would breach the doors and start targeting them.

All Perspectives

Belleville Police Service (Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks): Meeks identified the alleged shooter as Sean Ward of Quinte West and the officer as Const. Jeff Smith, a 13-year veteran, and said the wounded officer faced 'a significant road to recovery.' She acknowledged the shooting's impact on Belleville's Jewish community, particularly because it occurred outside the synagogue during Yom Kippur, and said 'Antisemitism, hate and violence have no place in our community' and 'Every person deserves to feel safe when attending a place of worship.'

Congregant Douglas Lobel: Lobel said the gunfire lasted two or three minutes and 'seemed like an eternity.' He said a police officer eventually entered the synagogue and asked whether anyone had been hurt, that no one inside was injured, and that 'This officer was a hero who saved our lives,' adding, 'If this officer wasn't there, I don't know what could have happened.' The Jerusalem Post reports Lobel told CP24 that those inside were thinking, 'Was the gunman going to breach the doors and start targeting us?'

Sons of Jacob Synagogue president Norm Weddum: Weddum told the Jerusalem Post the congregation had never received a threat. He described hearing shots, some congregants going toward the doors, and then a second round of fire; he said he moved everyone back into the sanctuary, shut the wooden doors so no one could be seen from the entrance, and told people to get down on the floor. Bullets came through the windows, and one stained-glass window has about 20 holes in it, according to his account. He described Belleville's Jewish community as small.

Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis: Ellis told PBS it was too soon to say whether the shooting was a hate crime but said 'the circumstances are where it happened, when it happened' and that it 'points towards that,' adding, 'We have a tight-knit Jewish community. We don't tolerate this in our city or across the country' and 'Everyone has the right to feel safe.' The Jerusalem Post reports Ellis told CBC he hopes the SIU investigation gets to 'the root cause,' and that he said he cried when he heard the news.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney: Carney condemned the shooting in a social media post, saying 'Jewish people must be able to worship safely' and should 'live free, open, proud Jewish lives,' and said the federal government would support law enforcement in ensuring the perpetrator is held accountable, according to PBS. The Jerusalem Post reports that in June he said at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto that 'Canada's civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,' cited that more than two-thirds of religion-motivated hate crimes the previous year targeted Jews who make up about 1% of Canadians, announced another $75 million for security, and said, 'It pains me that we had to commit $75 million to this.'

Ontario Premier Doug Ford: According to the Jerusalem Post, Ford called Smith a hero who stopped a tragedy and told reporters on Monday he was thankful such an experienced officer had been posted at the synagogue, adding: 'We never have enough security.'

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow: According to the Jerusalem Post, Chow said on Sunday night that Jews 'should not need police presence to observe Yom Kippur.'

Jerusalem Post columnist Zvika Klein (analysis): Klein wrote that somebody at the local police department decided an armed officer was needed outside this synagogue on this night and that he would like to know who put Smith there; he noted the SIU's job is to decide whether the officers were justified in firing, not why a 29-year-old showed up with a gun, and that no one has said publicly who is responsible for that question. He criticised the design of the Canada Community Security Program, writing that a synagogue the size of Sons of Jacob would have to raise the remaining 30% of costs, apply and wait for a signed agreement before spending, and hire guards on a 'time-limited' basis. He said the best argument against his analysis is Chow's, taken seriously — that a country answering antisemitism by stationing police outside synagogues has accepted antisemitism as permanent — and cited the Manchester attack as a harder objection concerning guns. He wrote he would not guess at Ward's motive but that whatever it was, Smith was there first.

Position not represented in the source reporting: Sean Ward, the alleged gunman — no statement, motive, or representative's comment appears in any source.

Where sources differ

Number of people inside the synagogue at the time: PBS NewsHour reports about two dozen people were inside; the Jerusalem Post reports about 25 people were inside for Kol Nidre, citing synagogue president Norm Weddum.
Weapon description: PBS NewsHour reports the man was armed with a shotgun and that the SIU described a shotgun; the Jerusalem Post reports the SIU first described the weapon as a rifle and later as a shotgun.
Whether the synagogue building was struck: PBS NewsHour reports there was no forensic confirmation Monday as to whether the synagogue itself was hit; the Jerusalem Post reports, based on Weddum's account, that bullets came through the windows and that one stained-glass window has about 20 holes in it. The Jerusalem Post also notes nobody has said whose bullets went through the stained glass.
Volume of gunfire: PBS NewsHour reports the police watchdog described a shootout involving as many as 30 shots; the Jerusalem Post reports that at least three people fired on a residential street.
Officer's condition: PBS NewsHour reports the officer's condition had stabilized as he recovered in intensive care; the Jerusalem Post describes him as in critical but stable condition.
Officer's position at the time: the Jerusalem Post reports Smith was waiting in an unmarked car outside the synagogue; PBS NewsHour describes an officer stationed outside the synagogue and does not mention a vehicle.
Framing of the service: PBS NewsHour describes the shooting as occurring during Yom Kippur services; the Jerusalem Post specifies it occurred during Kol Nidre, the service that opens Yom Kippur, and its headline refers to Yom Kippur eve.

Gaps & Unknowns

No motive has been established, and police have not said whether the Sons of Jacob Synagogue or the Jewish community was targeted.
No forensic confirmation was available Monday as to whether the synagogue building itself was struck; neither source establishes whose bullets struck the stained glass.
No source establishes who decided to post an armed officer outside the synagogue, on what basis, or what information prompted that decision; the Jerusalem Post notes the police force has had nothing to add since the SIU invoked its mandate.
No statement, explanation or legal representation from the alleged shooter, Sean Ward, appears in any source.
No definitive account of how many shots were fired, or by whom, is established; PBS reports up to 30 shots while the Jerusalem Post reports at least three people fired.
It is not established whether the shooting will be classified as a hate crime; the mayor said it was too soon to say.
No detail is given on the current medical status or prognosis of either the officer or the alleged gunman beyond the conditions described.
No source states whether any charges have been filed, nor the outcome of either investigation.
No source establishes how many people were inside the synagogue with certainty, the ages or identities of those present, or the extent of damage to the building.
No response from Public Safety Canada or administrators of the Canada Community Security Program to the criticism of the program's design is included in any source.

Sources & Further Reading

PBS NewsHour — original — by Associated Press
The Jerusalem Post — by ZVIKA KLEIN

Read the original at PBS NewsHour

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