Synagogue shooting was deliberate hate attack: Belleville, Ont., police | CBC

Belleville police Chief Murray Rodd said Sunday’s shooting near the Sons of Jacob synagogue was a deliberate, hate-motivated attack directed at the Jewish community.  

Gunman Sean Ward, a former Armed Forces member, had the means to cause mass casualties, according to police. 

Const. Jeff Smith was "ambushed" and shot multiple times by Ward but "stayed engaged" with the attacker. He will need multiple surgeries related to head trauma, Rodd said. 

Members of the Jewish community have hailed the heroism of local police but are also calling for more to be done by government and law enforcement to combat antisemitism.   

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September 242 hours agoWhat police revealed about the 'hate-motivated' Belleville shootingGuy QuennevilleThe Belleville Police Service says the man who ambushed and seriously wounded an officer near a local synagogue Sunday had the means and motive to carry out a "mass casualty" event and was specifically targeting members of the city's Jewish community."The loss of life and irreversible damage that could have rippled through our community for generations cannot be overstated," Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd said at a news conference Thursday, repeatedly emphasizing that the incident was

2 hours agoPublic safety minister commits to helping community recoverSarah PetzFeds to help fund security at Belleville, Ont., synagogue after shooting3 hours ago|Duration closed caption1:39Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says his department will help 'reinforce security' at the Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, Ont., where a police constable was injured during a shooting on Sept. 20 that police call a 'hate-motivated crime.' The shooter died from his injuries.Speaking to reporters on his way to a cabinet meeting, federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree condemned th

3 hours agoSynagogue member hails 'remarkable work' by officersGuy QuennevilleLobel was inside the synagogue when the shooting erupted. (CBC)Sons of Jacob member Doug Lobel was inside the synagogue on the night the shooting erupted about half a block away.He's learning new details today, like the fact that Const. Smith was wounded when he pressed on in confronting Ward. "He got shot a few times. He kept defending us until the second officer got there to take down the shooter. And that's just remarkable, remarkable work by these officers," Lobel told CBC News in reaction to what Belleville Poli

3 hours agoCould have been 'a massacre,' Jewish leader saysGuy QuennevilleShulman at today's update. (CBC)Steven Shulman, the CEO of Jewish Federations of Canada, was also at the news conference. He said Ward's assault was "the latest in an escalation of attacks on the Jewish community. There's been attacks on buildings when there weren't people inside. Now we have an attack that would have been absolutely a massacre but for the heroism of the local police, the two constables here in Belleville."Shulman was asked what "the right kind" of security for Jewish congregants looks like.  "We need po