Police to provide update on Belleville synagogue shooting

Police officers walk in front of the Son of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario on Monday Sept. 21, 2026. A man armed with a shotgun allegedly opened fire at a police officer stationed outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., on Sunday night, triggering a shootout that left him and the officer seriously injured, Ontario's police watchdog said Monday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ian MacAlpine

Police in Belleville, Ont., are expected to provide an update Thursday on a shooting outside a synagogue that left one gunman dead and an officer critically injured.

Const. Jeff Smith was stationed outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville on Sunday, Sept. 20, when a man armed with a shotgun began shooting at the officer, the SIU previously confirmed.

Sources who spoke to CP24 said Smith, a 13-year veteran of the Belleville Police Service, suffered multiple gunshot wounds, including one in the neck.

The suspect, identified by police as 29-year-old Sean Ward, was rushed to hospital in life-threatening condition following an exchange of gunfire with police, the SIU said. He later died in hospital.

Smith remains in hospital and faces a “difficult road ahead,” his wife said in a post on social media.

Police are expected to provide an update on the investigation at a news conference at 2 p.m.

Group calls for police protection at all synagogues

In a statement, Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith thanked law enforcement for preventing further tragedy.

“During Yom Kippur, the holiest date on the Jewish calendar, it is believed there was an attempted mass-killing of Jews praying at the Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville. It is only thanks to the brave efforts of law enforcement that the shooting did not result in further tragedy,” the statement read.

“For months, B’nai Brith has warned that the situation facing Canada’s Jewish community has deteriorated. Since May, we have released multiple, unprecedented reports highlighting the rapid acceleration of violent antisemitic incidents,” the statement read.

The group is calling for changes to the law to allow synagogues to hire armed, qualified security guards.

“Congregants at the Sons of Jacob synagogue were fortunate to have a trained, armed policeman guarding their doors. Most Jewish institutions in Canada do not have this comfort,” the statement continued, adding that the government must allocate funding for law enforcement to “ensure a sufficient police presence at every Jewish institution in Canada.”

“The burden of providing police protection to Jewish institutions should not fall on the communities themselves. It is a basic function of Government to protect its citizens.”