Youth, 17, receives two-year custodial sentence for March synagogue shootings

In a case reported on Tuesday, a youth from Toronto has been sentenced to two years in a custodial facility and one year of community supervision for shooting at two synagogues in March. Paulo Da Silva, the chief of York regional police, announced the sentence, noting it represents the maximum punishment under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The youth pleaded guilty in November to several offenses, including discharging a firearm at the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto and Shaarei Shomayim synagogues on the same night. The shootings resulted in bullet holes and property damage, but no injuries were reported. In response to the incidents, police increased patrols around Jewish neighborhoods and places of worship.

Initially, the youth was not named by police when he was arrested and charged in May due to his age of 17 at the time. Da Silva emphasized that the "significant sentence" acknowledges the "fear, trauma, and harm" caused to Jewish communities in York Region, Toronto, and surrounding areas. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs welcomed the sentencing as an "important step toward justice for Jewish families across the Greater Toronto Area."