‘Ambush’ outside Belleville synagogue was a hate-motivated attack targeting Jewish community, police say - Toronto Star
The shooting took place Sunday night while many were observing Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar.
He had a shotgun, a stockpile of ammunition and gasoline — enough, police say, to kill dozens of worshippers at a Belleville synagogue. Instead, a wounded officer stopped him, refusing to back down even after being shot multiple times.
The ambush at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue during Yom Kippur last weekend injured Const. Jeff Smith who was stationed outside, Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd told reporters Thursday.
Police played a video of the shooting, during which several loud shots can be heard.
“You are going to die for the Jews,” Sean Ward says on the video as he began his attack.
A gunman attacked the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville during Yom Kippur last weekend, injuring one officer who was shot multiple times.
“Based on the evidence we’ve reviewed … (investigators) can confirm this was a hate-motivated crime,” Rodd said.
Smith was shot multiple times but “stayed engaged” with the attacker, Rodd said. About three minutes later, a second police officer, Const. Mike McCurdy, arrived and joined what Rodd described as an “active gunfight.”
“They are both heroes,” Rodd said of McCurdy and Smith.
“We know that there was a reconnaissance in the presence of our officer, but nothing that would have alarmed him or would have triggered him to be on the defensive. (Smith) was then ambushed on a second pass. That’s when the shooting started,” Rodd said.
Ward, a former Canadian Armed Forces infantry soldier, died of his injuries Monday; Rodd said Thursday that evidence — including a recorded threat singling out the Jewish community — confirms the attack was hate-motivated and aimed at mass casualties. The shooting has renewed alarm over antisemitic violence in Canada, with Ontario’s solicitor general and the RCMP commissioner both condemning the attack this week.
