A man fired a shotgun and seriously injured a police officer parked outside a synagogue in Ontario on Sunday, Canadian authorities said, as worshipers gathered for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The officer managed to return fire, and another officer also fired a gun, Kristy Denette, spokesperson for the Special Investigations Unit, the province’s police watchdog, told reporters on Monday. The first officer, identified as Officer Jeff Smith, was in stable condition, Denette said. The suspect suffered life-threatening injuries and some homes and vehicles in the area were hit by bullets, Denette said. Police identified the gunman as 29-year-old Sean Ward. Authorities did not provide information on a possible motive for the shooting, which took place near the Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, a city of about 60,000 people and about a two-hour drive northeast of Toronto. The Belleville Police Service said an officer “encountered an individual” in the area around 7:10 p.m. Neil Ellis, the mayor of Belleville, said it was unclear if the synagogue had about 25 people were inside the synagogue at the time of the shooting, but no one was injured, Ellis said. Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks praised the wounded officer’s bravery at a news conference Monday and said uniformed patrols would be increased in the area. The Toronto Police Service said it would also increase patrols around synagogues and other places of worship, although it said there were no other known threats. The shooting occurred at the beginning of Yom Kippur, a solemn day of repentance, fasting and prayer. The synagogue said on social media that an episode had occurred while a service was being held on Sunday. All remaining Yom Kippur services were cancelled, he added. Doug Ford, Ontario Premier, said on social media that he was “disgusted” by the shooting. “My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Belleville and across Ontario, who have every right to gather and worship safely and without fear,” he said. “I hope that all those responsible are arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” The shooting came amid growing concern about anti-Semitism and attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States, Canada and Europe. In March, gunfire damaged three Toronto-area synagogues in less than a week, authorities said. No one was injured. That same month, a man rammed his truck into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, before killing himself during a shootout with security guards. And an explosion damaged a synagogue in Liège, Belgium, in what the country’s interior minister called “an anti-Semitic act.” In New York City in January, a man was charged with hate crimes after repeatedly crashing his vehicle into the headquarters of Chabad-Lubavitch, a Hasidic Jewish movement. He pleaded guilty to a federal charge of intentionally damaging religious property. On Yom Kippur last year, an attacker in Manchester, England, rammed a car into people outside a synagogue and then attacked worshipers with a knife. Two people were killed during the attack, which police called an act of terrorism. Vjosa Isai contributed to this report from Toronto.
