Shot 3 Times, Ontario Officer Stops Synagogue Gunman in Hate Attack

Q: How did a lone officer intercept a heavily armed extremist moments before a potential mass tragedy at a Canadian synagogue?

A lone Belleville officer appears to have stopped the attack by being in place outside the synagogue, immediately confronting the gunman, and continuing to hold him off even after being shot. Police say Constable Jeff Smith was stationed near Sons of Jacob Synagogue during Yom Kippur when Sean Ward, 29, arrived armed with a shotgun and other firearms. Investigators say Ward had ammunition and gasoline in his vehicle and was targeting the Jewish community in a hate-motivated attack. Chief Murray Rodd said Ward allegedly told Smith, “You are going to die for the Jews,” before opening fire. Smith was hit almost at once, before he could fully get out of his car, suffering serious wounds to the head and torso. Despite that, police say he exited the vehicle and engaged the attacker, preventing him from advancing toward the synagogue for nearly three minutes. That delay was critical: it gave time for Constable Mike McCurdy to arrive and join the confrontation. Authorities say roughly 20 to 30 shots were fired. Bullets struck nearby homes, vehicles and the synagogue, but no congregants were injured. Ward was seriously wounded in the exchange and later died. Investigators say Smith’s intervention, followed by McCurdy’s arrival, likely prevented Ward from entering the synagogue and carrying out a mass-casualty attack. Smith remains hospitalized and faces multiple surgeries, but police say he is making progress through what is expected to be a long recovery.

3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Sep 24

Belleville police said Constable Jeff Smith kept fighting a synagogue gunman for nearly three minutes after being shot multiple times in the head and torso, blocking him from entering Sons of Jacob Synagogue.
Chief Murray Rodd said the Sunday assault was a hate-motivated attack targeting the Jewish community during one of its holiest observances, and that Smith and responding officer Mike McCurdy prevented a mass-casualty attack.
Smith remains hospitalized with serious head trauma, fractures and shrapnel, and faces several surgeries, though officials said he is making daily progress.
Police said the gunman, 29-year-old Sean Ward of Quinte West, carried several firearms, a shotgun, enough ammunition for a prolonged gun battle and gasoline containers; he was wounded and later died.