A Belleville, Ont., police officer and a 29-year-old man were shot and hospitalized Sunday evening after gunfire erupted outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue during Yom Kippur services, Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit said Monday. The exchange of gunfire happened around 7:10 p.m. near the corner of Victoria and Bleecker avenues in Belleville, roughly 180 kilometres east of Toronto, according to Yahoo News Canada. More than two dozen congregants were inside the synagogue at the time, and none were injured, though witnesses reported hearing between 25 and 30 shots and said bullets struck the building’s stained glass windows, Yahoo News Canada reported.
Synagogue president Norman Weddum told CBC News he realized what was happening and warned the congregation to get down. “I yelled out to everyone to get on the ground,” he said, adding the group retreated indoors and hit the floor to avoid becoming targets, according to CBS News.
The SIU, the civilian agency that investigates incidents involving police, confirmed it had dispatched investigators to the scene and said it would provide an update Monday morning. Investigators have not disclosed what triggered the confrontation, and police have not said whether the synagogue or the Jewish community was specifically targeted, CBS News reported. Police initially said there may have been two suspects before confirming only one shooter was involved, and a late model Chevrolet Silverado King Cab was seen leaving the area, according to Yahoo News Canada.
The wounded officer was taken to hospital, where his condition was described as stable, while the 29-year-old man was listed in life-threatening condition, CBS News and Global News reported.
Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the shooting Monday. “Jewish people must be able to worship safely, to live free, open, proud Jewish lives,” he said, adding his thoughts were with the injured officer, his family and the broader Jewish community, according to Yahoo News Canada. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was disgusted by the shooting and said Jewish people have every right to gather and worship safely and without fear, CBS News reported. Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis called the shooting devastating for the community. “Things like this just don’t happen in Belleville. I’m at a loss for words,” he said, adding the city has zero tolerance for acts of violence motivated by hate.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also condemned the violence and pointed to broader concerns about antisemitism in the wake of the shooting, CBS News reported. Police services outside Belleville, including York Regional Police, said they were increasing patrols near places of worship as a precaution, though they identified no specific threat to their own communities, CBS News reported.
The shooting comes months after gunmen opened fire on synagogues in Vaughan and Toronto in March, an attack that led to three arrests, and after Carney had previously warned of rising antisemitism in Canada, CBS News reported. The SIU investigation into Sunday’s shooting was continuing Monday, and Belleville police asked anyone with information about the incident to come forward.
