Belleville synagogue shooting suspect dies in hospital

Sean Ward, a 29-year-old man from Quinte West, Ontario, has died in hospital after being injured in a shootout with police outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on Sunday night. According to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Ward opened fire on a police officer stationed outside the synagogue, identified as Const. Jeff Smith, a 13-year veteran of the Belleville police force.

Const. Smith was shot in the face and upper body and initially listed in critical condition, but his condition was later upgraded and he remains stable. The SIU also reported that a second police officer discharged their firearm during the incident.

The shooting occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for the Jewish community, and the president of the Sons of Jacob synagogue called it a “hate crime.” The SIU spokesperson suggested it would be “common sense” to assume the incident was hate-motivated, although neither Belleville police nor the SIU have confirmed the motive. Multiple rounds were fired, hitting police and civilian vehicles, nearby homes, and the synagogue’s windows, with estimates suggesting between 25 and 30 shots were fired.

Brief written by urgent.news from National Post, Toronto Sun, CBC Canada, CityNews, Global News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.