Targeted Synagogue Attack
Belleville Police Officially Classify Yom Kippur Synagogue Shooting as Hate-Motivated Attack
Anonymous
Key Points
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The shooting took place outside Belleville’s Sons of Jacob Synagogue at about 7 p.m. on Sept. 20; the Toronto Sun reported that the alleged gunman brought a sawed-off shotgun.
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A friend of the deceased alleged that, weeks before the shooting, he used an antisemitic slur as an attempted username while playing the online game Once Human, changing it after the first version was rejected.
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The Special Investigations Unit was examining the police-involved shooting. The Toronto Sun reported that the synagogue’s stained-glass window and exterior brick wall, as well as a police vehicle and another car, had bullet damage.
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Congregation president Norm Weddum called Const. Jeff Smith and the responding officer heroes, while congregant Mike Devolin said he believed the shooter would have entered the synagogue and killed those inside if officers had not intervened.
Police in Belleville, Ontario, are calling the shooting outside a synagogue on Yom Kippur a deliberate, hate-motivated attack on the Jewish community. The gunman, 29-year-old Sean Ward, opened fire outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue around 7 p.m. on September 20, critically injuring police officer Jeff Smith. Police Chief Murray Rodd said the attack was targeted and planned, while provincial officials warned it could have become a mass-casualty event if officers had not responded quickly.
The alleged gunman brought a sawed-off shotgun and reportedly yelled antisemitic slurs during the attack. The Toronto Sun reported that bullets damaged the synagogue's stained-glass window, exterior brick wall, a police vehicle, and another car nearby. The shooter later died in hospital. Congregation leaders credited the officers' swift response with preventing the attacker from entering the building and harming worshippers inside.
Gunman's Antisemitic History Emerges Online
Friends of the deceased gunman revealed troubling signs of hatred weeks before the attack. A friend alleged that Sean Ward tried to use an antisemitic slur as his username in the online game Once Human. When that name was rejected, he changed it to something else. This online behavior foreshadowed the violence that would target the Jewish community during one of its holiest days.
Officers Hailed as Heroes for Stopping Massacre
Police responded immediately to the shooting, and their quick action likely saved lives inside the synagogue. Congregation president Norm Weddum called Officer Jeff Smith and the responding officer heroes. Congregant Mike Devolin stated bluntly: "I believe the shooter would have entered the synagogue and killed those inside if officers had not intervened." Smith was critically injured during the confrontation but is credited with helping prevent a larger tragedy.
Provincial Officials Warn of Escalating Antisemitic Threats
Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner described the attack as a planned antisemitic assault. He emphasized that this incident could have resulted in mass casualties if not for the police response. The attack occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, suggesting the timing was deliberate. The Special Investigations Unit is examining the police-involved shooting as part of its investigation into the incident.
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