’We hit the floor’: Belleville, Ont., synagogue leader recounts shooting that left police officer, man injured

Police officers are shown outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ont., on Sunday. Police say there was an exchange of gunfire near the synagogue that left a man and a police officer injured. Both were taken to hospital. (CBC)

Amy van den Berg (new window) · CBC News

Around 7 p.m. on Sunday evening, Sons of Jacob Synagogue president Norman Weddum was ushering people into the Belleville, Ont., sanctuary to begin services for Yom Kippur when he heard shots ring out.

It was boom, boom, boom, Weddum told CBC News Network on Monday.

The exchange of gunfire outside the synagogue in the southern Ontario community left a man and a police officer wounded, authorities say. The 29-year-old man was hospitalized in life-threatening condition. The officer is in critical but stable condition.

Weddum said he went to the lobby where he could hear more defined shots.

I could say, 'Oh, this is definitely … someone is shooting here,' he said. So that's when we ran back into the auditorium of the synagogue, closed the doors behind us so as to not leave a visible target and we hit the floor.

Literally everyone went down, he said. I yelled for everyone to get on to the floor and the shots continued for a few more seconds, and then it was basically over.

Weddum said the officer had been stationed outside the building in an unmarked car.

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said the shooting involved a man with a rifle. It also confirmed the incident happened near the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, in the area of Bleecker Avenue and Victoria Avenue, about 175 kilometres east of Toronto.

Belleville police said the officer encountered the man around 7:10 p.m. and that both were taken to a hospital.

Police have not said what led to the shooting or whether the synagogue or Jewish community was targeted. They said there was no risk to public safety and asked people to avoid the area while officers investigated.

The SIU, the civilian agency that investigates serious incidents involving police, said it sent investigators to the scene.

Belleville police said they would not provide further information while the investigation was underway.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the shooting took place outside the synagogue as people gathered for Yom Kippur.

I'm disgusted by the shooting that took place outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville earlier this evening as Jewish community members gathered to mark Yom Kippur, Ford said in a post on social media.

Ford said Jewish people have every right to gather and worship safely and without fear and called for those responsible to be arrested and prosecuted.

My thoughts are also with the police officer who was shot, along with their family and loved ones, Ford said.

Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis told the CBC's Ontario Morning he was shocked by the news of the incident. He said his heart goes out to the Jewish community and commended the injured officer.

We've been rocked by this … stuff like this doesn't happen in Belleville, he said. We are a community that's strong, and we are a community that's vibrant, and we will get through this together.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also said her thoughts are with the Jewish community and injured officer in a post on social media platform X.

Jewish Torontonians should not need police presence to observe Yom Kippur, or to simply live their day-to-day lives, she said. As long as we contend with rising antisemitism and hate, we will spare no expense keeping the community safe.

Toronto Police Service said in a statement Monday, while there is no known threat to Toronto, they will be increasing patrols at synagogues and other places of worship.

York Regional Police also said there was no known threat in the region, but residents should expect increased patrols at places of worship.

Chris Masterson, who lives nearby, said he was watching TV on Sunday evening when he heard three loud pops.

There was a little bit of a pause and then I heard more shots, he said. It was very clear it was gunshots.

Masterson said he estimates there were around 25 shots back and forth before he heard a siren and someone clearly yell: Police, stop.

I've been living here for over 10 years and nothing like this has ever happened, said another resident, Cody Bain. It kinda makes you nervous. Makes you wonder about the future.

Sunday's shooting comes months after Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that Canada was failing its Jewish community amid a surge in antisemitism.

Carney cited shootings at Jewish schools, firebombings of synagogues and attacks on community centres and Jewish-owned businesses. His government announced millions in additional funding to help faith-based institutions pay for security infrastructure, training and personnel.

Synagogues in the Toronto area have also previously been targeted by gunfire. In March, shots damaged the entrances of synagogues in Vaughan and Toronto. No one was injured. Police later arrested three suspects in connection with those shootings.

'We will carry on': synagogue leader

When asked what he thought the man involved in the shooting was trying to do, synagogue leader Weddum said he thought his intentions were pretty clear.

Well, he was coming down the street with some type of a firearm, and he was headed toward a synagogue where Jewish people were having service. So I think his intentions were pretty clear, said Weddum.

It's rough. And unfortunately we can't have our services again today to complete the Yom Kippur holiday, because the building is under a lockdown right now for the investigation, he said. "But, you know, once the building is released we'll get back to having services.