Belleville Synagogue Attack Suspect Is Dead, Police Watchdog Says

The man accused of opening fire outside a Belleville, Ont., synagogue on Sept. 20 has died after being critically wounded in a shootout with police.

Special Investigations Unit spokesperson Kristy Denette told reporters a suspect arrived at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in a truck armed with a shotgun as worshippers were celebrating Yom Kippur.

Belleville Police Service Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks identified the suspect as 29-year-old Quinte West resident Sean Ward during a joint Sept. 21 press conference with the SIU. Quinte West shares a border with the City of Belleville and is roughly two hours east of Toronto.

Ward died later that night after succumbing to his injuries, the SIU has confirmed. An autopsy will be performed on Sept. 23 in Kingston, Ont.

Const. Jeff Smith, a 13-year veteran of the force and a member of its emergency response unit, was shot during the altercation, Meeks said. He remains in critical but stable condition.

“I am relieved to share that Const. Smith is recovering in the intensive care unit,” Meeks said. “While he continues to face a significant road to recovery, his condition has stabilized, and we remain hopeful and encouraged by his progress.”

Const. Smith and Ward were both transported to Kingston General Hospital in the aftermath of the shootout that forced more than 25 worshippers inside the synagogue to take shelter as bullets hit the stained-glass windows.

One of the congregants, Douglas Lobel, said the incident lasted for two to three minutes but it “seemed like an eternity.”

Lobel said a police officer eventually entered the synagogue to check whether anyone had been wounded, and confirmed no one inside was hurt. He described the injured officer as a “hero” and said the outcome could have been much different if the officer had not been stationed there.

Denette confirmed the shooter fired between 20 and 30 shots and said police also fired multiple rounds.

“There are dozens of bullet holes in the street behind me and some homes were hit,” she told reporters. “There are some vehicles with shot-out windows, that sort of thing, so it would have been quite the scene.”

Investigation

The authorities have yet to establish a motive and have not said whether the Sons of Jacob Synagogue or the Jewish community was the target of the weekend attack.

Belleville police is conducting the criminal investigation into the incident and the SIU, a civilian government agency, is conducting a separate investigation into the police-involved shooting, Denette said.

A team of four SIU investigators and two forensic investigators have been assigned to the case and will be reviewing body-worn and in-car camera footage to see how the officers used their firearms, she added.

Meeks said the shooting has profoundly impacted Belleville’s Jewish community, especially because it happened outside the synagogue during Yom Kippur, Judaism’s most sacred observance.

“Anti-Semitism, 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 cancelled its remaining Yom Kippur services following the shooting and Meeks said police have increased patrols throughout the city, including around places of worship.

Meeks said the police force is “committed to being as transparent as possible and keeping our community informed,” but cannot comment on their investigation while the SIU carries out its own probe.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.