Officer, man injured in gunfire outside Belleville synagogue on Yom Kippur

A police officer and a man were wounded in an exchange of gunfire near a synagogue in Ontario on Sunday as members of the Jewish community marked Yom Kippur, authorities said. The man was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition.

Police have not said what led to the shooting or whether the synagogue or the Jewish community was targeted. They said there was no risk to public safety and asked people to avoid the area while officers investigated.

The province's Special Investigations Unit said the gunfire exchange happened near the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, about 110 miles east of Toronto. Belleville police said an officer encountered the man at about 7.10 pm and that both were taken to hospital.

The Special Investigations Unit, the civilian agency that investigates serious incidents involving police, said it had sent investigators to the scene. Belleville police said they would not provide further information while the investigation was under way.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the shooting took place outside the synagogue as people gathered for Yom Kippur. "I'm disgusted by the shooting that took place outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville earlier this evening as Jewish community members gathered to mark Yom Kippur," Ford said in a social media post.

Ford said Jewish people "have every right to gather and worship safely and without fear" and called for those responsible to be arrested and prosecuted. "My thoughts are also with the police officer who was shot, along with their family and loved ones," he said.

York Regional Police said there was no known threat in the region, but residents should expect increased patrols at places of worship.

Sunday's shooting comes months after Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that Canada was failing its Jewish community amid a rise in antisemitism. Carney cited shootings at Jewish schools, firebombings of synagogues and attacks on community centres and Jewish-owned businesses. His government announced millions in additional funding to help faith-based institutions pay for security infrastructure, training and personnel.

Synagogues in the Toronto area have also previously been hit by gunfire. In March, shots damaged the entrances of synagogues in Vaughan and Toronto, though no one was injured. Police later arrested three suspects in connection with those shootings. Sunday's incident in Belleville left an officer and a man wounded, with investigators still trying to establish what happened.