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Police Officer Shot Outside Ontario Synagogue During Yom Kippur
Confirmed
In Short: A police officer was shot outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on Sunday evening, as Jewish community members were marking Yom Kippur.
A police officer was shot outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on Sunday evening, as Jewish community members were marking Yom Kippur.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the incident, calling for those responsible to be arrested and fully prosecuted.
The shooting occurred around 7 p.m. when the officer encountered an individual near Bleecker Avenue and Victoria Avenue.
Both the officer and the individual sustained injuries and were transported to the hospital.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the province’s civilian police watchdog, is investigating the incident.
The SIU stated that the officer was injured and the other individual is in critical condition.
Ford expressed disgust at the shooting and offered his thoughts to the Jewish community in Belleville and across Ontario.
In response to the incident, Toronto Police increased patrols at synagogues and other places of worship.
York Regional Police also said they would increase patrols at places of worship in their region.
Carney cited previous incidents, including shootings at Jewish schools, firebombings of synagogues, and attacks on community centers and Jewish-owned businesses.
Photos posted online appear to show bullet holes in the synagogue’s stained glass windows.
No active threat to public safety was reported, and police asked people to avoid the area while the investigation was underway.
What this adds
The exact circumstances leading to the shooting and whether the synagogue was targeted remain unclear.
What's confirmed
- Belleview Police said the officer encountered an individual in the area of Bleecker Avenue and Victoria Avenue around 7 p.m.
- "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 statement.
What's still developing
- The Special Investigations Unit, the civilian agency that investigates serious incidents involving police, said it sent investigators to the scene. 'Canada's civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,' Carney says in speech addressing antisemitism Belleville police said they would not provide further information while the investigation was underway.
- Sunday's shooting comes months after Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that Canada was failing its Jewish community amid a surge in antisemitism.
- An officer was on duty and is being called a hero.
- No Jewish person in Belleville should ever have to fear… pic.twitter.com/1xQOl489QA Ontario Premier Doug Ford reacted to the situation in a social media post shared Sunday night.
- “We owe an immense debt of gratitude to this brave officer and to all the first responders who acted so quickly to keep the community safe,” Ford added.