Up to 30 shots fired after man opened fire on officer outside Ontario
synagogue
[September 22, 2026]
BELLEVILLE, Ontario (AP) — A 29-year-old man armed with a
shotgun opened fire on a police officer stationed outside an Ontario
synagogue during Yom Kippur, triggering a shootout involving as many as
30 shots, the province's police watchdog said Monday.
The gunfire left the man with life-threatening injuries and seriously
wounded a veteran of the Belleville Police Service, whose condition had
stabilized as he recovered in intensive care.
Kristy Denette, a spokesperson for the Special Investigations Unit, said
nearby vehicles and homes were riddled with bullet holes. There was no
forensic confirmation Monday as to whether the synagogue itself was hit.
Denette said the scene appeared to stretch about half a block from the
Sons of Jacob Synagogue.
“It would have been quite, quite the scene indeed,” Denette said.
The Special Investigations Unit said preliminary evidence showed the man
arrived in a truck around 7 p.m. on Sunday and fired at an officer
outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, about 110 miles east
of Toronto. The officer returned fire before a second officer arrived
and also fired.
Belleville police Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks identified the alleged
shooter as Sean Ward, of the nearby city of Quinte West, and the officer
as Const. Jeff Smith, a 13-year veteran of the force.
About two dozen people were inside the synagogue when gunfire erupted.
One of them, Douglas Lobel, said it lasted two or three minutes and
“seemed like an eternity.”
Lobel said a police officer eventually entered the synagogue and asked
whether anyone had been hurt. No one inside was injured. “This officer
was a hero who saved our lives,” Lobel said. “If this officer wasn’t
there, I don’t know what could have happened.”
Police have not established a motive or said whether the Sons of Jacob
Synagogue or the Jewish community was targeted. The SIU is investigating
the actions of the officers, while Belleville police are conducting a
parallel criminal investigation that will examine the man’s actions and
possible motive.
Meeks said the wounded officer faced “a significant road to recovery.”
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The Sons of Jacob Synagogue is shown in Belleville, Ontario on
Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (Sharif Hassan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Meeks acknowledged the shooting’s impact on Belleville’s Jewish
community, particularly because it happened outside the synagogue
during Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
“Antisemitism, hate and violence have no place in our community,”
Meeks said. “Every person deserves to feel safe when attending a
place of worship.”
The synagogue canceled its remaining Yom Kippur services following
the shooting.
Police increased patrols and their presence around places of worship
but said there was no ongoing threat to public safety.
Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis said it was too soon to say whether the
shooting was a hate crime but said “the circumstances are where it
happened, when it happened” and that it “points towards that.”
“We have a tight-knit Jewish community. We don’t tolerate this in
our city or across the country,” Ellis said. “Everyone has the right
to feel safe.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the shooting in a
social media post, saying, “Jewish people must be able to worship
safely” and “live free, open, proud Jewish lives.” He said the
federal government would support law enforcement in ensuring the
perpetrator is held accountable.
The shooting comes months after Carney warned that Canada was
failing its Jewish community amid a surge in antisemitism. Carney
cited shootings at Jewish schools, firebombings of synagogues and
attacks on community centers and Jewish-owned businesses.
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