A former Canadian Armed Forces soldier who allegedly opened fire on a police officer outside a Belleville, Ont., synagogue over the weekend has died. Sean Ward, a 29-year-old Quinte West resident, was shot during an exchange of gunfire with police outside Sons of Jacob Synagogue on Sunday night as congregants inside prepared to mark Yom Kippur. Ward was initially without vital signs at the scene of the shooting but was revived and rushed to hospital in life-threatening condition. He died in hospital on Monday night and an autopsy has been scheduled for Wednesday in Kingston, Ont., the Special Investigations Unit confirmed to CP24. Investigators have previously said that Ward was armed with a shotgun and opened fire on a police officer stationed outside, shortly after arriving in the area in a truck. A 13-year veteran of the Belleville Police Service – Const. Jeff Smith – was critically injured in the shooting. Sources tell CP24 that Smith was shot multiple times, including in the neck, and remained in hospital in stable condition as of Tuesday. While police have not commented on the motive behind the shooting, SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette did agree with a reporter’s suggestion on Monday that it could fit the description of a terrorist attack. “I think that common sense would say that probably was the case,” she said. Individual matching gunman’s description served with CAF In a statement provided to CTV News on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Canadian Armed Forces confirmed that a former member matches the description of the shooting suspect. The spokesperson said that Ward enrolled in the military in July 2017 and was released in June 2022 at the rank of corporal. “He served as an infantry soldier with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and did not deploy during his service,” the spokesperson said. “We remain ready to provide assistance to the investigation if required.” Police identified Ward on Monday but have not provided any further details, citing the ongoing investigation being conducted by Ontario’s police watchdog. The SIU has estimated that 20 to 30 shots were fired at the scene. Congregation members at Sons of Jacob Synagogue have said that some of those shots shattered stained-glass windows in the building. Reacting to news of the shooting on Monday, Premier Doug Ford called Smith a “hero” and said that he “stopped a tragedy in its footsteps.” In an interview with CP24 on Tuesday, Richard Marceau, who is the Senior Vice President Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said the incident further underscores the need for resources to protect synagogues and other Jewish institutions amid an increase in violent act targeting the community. “Words are not enough and there are things that need to happen. So we need to convene a a meeting of federal, provincial, and territorial and municipal leaders to make sure that there’s intelligence sharing, that the law is properly enforced and there needs to be an expedited way to get Jewish institutions like synagogues, community centres and schools to have access to off-duty armed police officers to protect our institutions because imagine if those two heroes, those two police officers, had not been there in Belleville,” he said. With files from CP24’s Beatrice Vaisman
