Police label shooting in Belleville, Ontario, a hate-motivated attack against the Jewish community

In audio from the attack, the assailant apparently yells, “You are going to die for the Jews.”

by Emma Paidra

This is a developing story.

(JTA) – The shooter who opened fire on a Belleville, Ontario, synagogue Sunday evening committed an anti-Jewish hate-motivated offense, according to the city’s police chief.

“This was a deliberate attack directed at members of the Jewish community during one of the holiest observances of the year,” Belleville police chief Murray Rodd said at a press conference on September 24, adding that the shooter had combustible materials, including gasoline, in his truck.

He said the threat posed to Jewish communities required increased alertness on the part of Canadian law enforcement. Police stationed outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue had engaged in a shootout with the assailant, Sean Ward, that prevented him from entering the building as members of the congregation were about to begin Yom Kippur services.

Rodd noted that the force had a long-time relationship with the Jewish community that involved “our proactive pre-positioning of on-duty staff” to ensure the safety of Jewish worshippers. “One of the messages to my colleagues around the province and the country is: It is clearly time that we all be proactive.”

Rodd said the efforts of Constables Jeff Smith and Michael McCurdy prevented the attacker from using the explosive materials he had with him, as well as a “significant” amount of ammunition.

Smith, who was stationed outside of Sons of Jacob to provide security, remains in critical condition but is making progress, according to Rodd. Ward later died of his wounds from the exchange with police.

“[The shooter] had the means, the mechanism, and the motive to perpetrate a greater act. The only thing that stopped entry into the synagogue to execute the intent were the two officers,” said Rodd. “He was equipped with other weapons and the means to carry on a gun battle for a long period of time.”

The CBC reported that police obtained a video of the attack in Belleville, a town over 100 miles east of Toronto on the north shore of Lake Ontario. On the video, Ward is heard shouting. Police report he is saying, “You are going to die for the Jews.”

Rodd confirmed that before Ward targeted the Sons of Jacob, he scoped out the synagogue grounds. “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,” Rodd said.

More details:

CP24 Reporters Bryann Aguilar and Codi Wilson provided additional details in their recent article. They wrote:

Ward, a former Canadian Forces soldier who was released from the military in 2022, was armed with a shotgun and opened fire at Const. Jeff Smith, who was stationed outside the synagogue shortly after arriving in the area in a truck.

Rodd said Smith was hit by gunfire while he was inside his cruiser.

“Despite suffering life-threatening injuries, within moments of encountering the armed suspect, Constable Smith exited his vehicle and engaged the attacker. He was shot multiple times and stayed engaged,” Rodd said.

Another officer, Const. Mike McCurdy, arrived nearly three minutes into the exchange and joined the gunfight, the chief said.

“Together Constables Smith and McCurdy confronted the active attacker and prevented what would have become an unimaginable tragedy. Their actions represent the very definition of courageous policing. Because of their selfless commitment to duty, an extreme incident in an inactive attacker was stopped before innocent lives were lost,” Rodd said.

Smith suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his head and body and is facing a long recovery ahead.

“He is expected to undergo multiple surgeries related to serious head trauma. While his recovery will be lengthy and challenging, he is making progress every day,” the chief said, noting that Smith also sustained fractures and had shrapnel wounds.

Many government officials condemned the attack and praised the courage of the two police officers including Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner.  He said during the news conference that “a line of decency” had been crossed.

“We have to suffocate hate. We have to suffocate anti-Semitism. We have to understand that an attack on one is an attack on all,” Kerzner said.

“I’m calling on everybody in our country and in our province and right here in Belleville to come forward and to say hate has no place, and we will stand up against it.”

Meanwhile, new information about the shooter has been disclosed. It has been reported that the former member of the Canadian Armed Forces was suing the military for $1 million for discharging him over his refusal to vaccinate, according to court records.

On September 24, Global News reporters Stewart Bell and Jeff Semple reported that documents obtained by Global News show that Sean Ward was a corporal based at CFB Edmonton when he declined the COVID-19 vaccine on “religious grounds” and was deemed “unsuitable for further military service.”

“He has served honourably for almost 5 years,” according to the law suit filed in Federal Court that claimed he had incurred $140,000 in financial losses following his dismissal for violating the military’s vaccination policy.

“He was told no exemption to receiving the injections would be made. Mr Ward did not accept the injections. He was subject to the remedial measures … and he was released under a category of 5(f)—unsuitable for further military service.”

On X, former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney noted that “this guy didn’t go down the dark rabbit hole of antivax conspiracy theories by himself. There is an entire online ecosystem that radicalizes people with these insane theories, and much of it starts with alt right media.”

A researcher who studies far right extremism in Canada’s military told the Global News reporters that antisemitic conspiracy theories were “a tale as old as time.”

“Usually it’s tied to some sort of wider social, political or ideological crisis, in this case COVID-19,” said University of New Brunswick sociology professor David Hofmann.

“Anytime there’s some sort of societal unrest, the antisemitic community will find some way to tie it to Judaism. It’s not a new trope, it’s just basically an odd justification that is used to justify violence.”

“So seeing this overlap and this type of conspiracy theory mesh with anti-vax rhetoric is not a surprise,” Hofmann said,