How Pro-Israel Voices Warped The Belleville Shooting Narrative

Just after 7:00 p.m. on September 20, a man in a truck drove near the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ont., and opened fire with a shotgun at a police officer who was in a vehicle outside the building. Around 25 congregants were gathered inside the building for a Yom Kippur service. After an exchange of fire, the police officer and his colleague neutralized the suspect, who later died in hospital. Dozens of bullets hit the synagogue during the shootout. The officer, Constable Jeff Smith, reportedly remains in hospital with severe injuries but in a stable condition. None of the congregants were hurt. The suspect, 29-year-old Sean Ward, was an army veteran who was released from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2022 after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Reporting suggested that he espoused anti-immigrant views and COVID-19 conspiracy theories, including some that were antisemitic in nature. According to police, the attack was a pre-meditated hate crime intended to cause mass casualties. There is currently no public evidence linking Ward to the pro-Palestine movement or any views about Israel or Zionism.