Ontario’s police oversight agency reports that 29-year-old Sean Ward, who was accused of firing at city police near a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., on Sunday night, has died.
Yom Kippur services were taking place inside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue when Ward allegedly shot at Const. Jeff Smith using a shotgun, as stated by Belleville police Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks and Kristy Denette, a representative for Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), during a news conference on Monday.
The gunfire resulted in numerous bullet holes in nearby homes, cars, and one stained-glass window facing the street of the synagogue, according to Denette.
A second officer from Belleville also discharged their weapon.
Ward, who lived in nearby Quinte West, was initially reported to be in critical condition. A spokesperson for the SIU confirmed that he passed away in a Kingston hospital on Monday night.
A representative from the Department of National Defence mentioned on Tuesday that Ward enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces in July 2017 and served as an infantry soldier with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry; he held the rank of corporal before being released in June 2022 without having been deployed.
This photo of shooting suspect Sean Ward was posted to his father’s Facebook page in 2017. (Doug Ward/Facebook)
Smith had been stationed outside Sons of Jacob in an unmarked police vehicle at the request of the synagogue’s president, as reported by . He sustained serious injuries during the shootout and is currently recovering in an intensive care unit. The SIU stated on Tuesday that he remains stable.
Yom Kippur is one of the most sacred days on the Jewish calendar and began at sundown on Sunday.
It’s not clear if the shooting specifically targeted Smith, Sons of Jacob or Belleville’s Jewish community. An SIU spokesperson indicated that Belleville police would be investigating Ward’s motives.
Meeks noted that Belleville police won’t provide further updates regarding their investigation while the SIU conducts its own focused inquiry into why Smith and another unnamed officer fired their weapons.
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