Belleville officer shot in synagogue attack released from hospital
Const. Jeff Smith was shot multiple times while protecting a synagogue from an armed attacker on Yom Kippur.
BELLEVILLE · Const. Jeff Smith, the Belleville police officer shot and seriously injured while protecting a synagogue from an armed attacker, has been released from hospital. The Belleville Police Service said Smith was released and is now recovering well at home, more than a month after the Sept. 20 shooting. Police said Smith continues to make "positive progress" in his recovery. The officer was stationed outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue during Yom Kippur observances when he was ambushed by 29-year-old Sean Ward.
Smith suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his head and body during the confrontation. Police said Ward, a former soldier with the Canadian Armed Forces, had multiple guns, significant amounts of ammunition and the motive to carry out an extended attack on the synagogue. Despite his injuries, Smith continued to engage the attacker until a second officer, Const. Michael McCurdy, arrived about three minutes later. Ward was fatally injured in the gunfight and died in hospital the next day.
"Constable Smith and his family remain incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support shown by the community and beyond over the past several weeks," police said in a news release. "Every well wish and message of encouragement has been sincerely appreciated." Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd has said Smith's treatment included multiple surgeries. The officer's wife, Ashley Smith, posted on Facebook thanking the "life-saving" and "steady, capable" hands of first responders and hospital staff.
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Police have said the shooting was a hate-motivated crime. At a news conference, Rodd said Ward "had the means, the motive and the mechanisms to cause a mass casualty and the destruction of the Jewish synagogue." He said the suspect "had the means, the mechanism and the motive to perpetrate a greater act. The only thing that stopped entry into the synagogue to execute the intent were the two officers." Police showed a video in which the shooter appears to tell Smith, "You are going to die for the Jews." Rodd said there were materials in the shooter's car that would be considered "combustible."
About two dozen people were inside the synagogue at the time, and no one inside was injured. Police said Smith had noticed Ward passing by earlier in the day but was not alarmed, and was then "ambushed on a second pass." The first rounds hit Smith before he even exited his vehicle to return fire. Const. Michael McCurdy, who arrived as backup, did not sustain any injuries. The synagogue had requested police protection for the holy day and has hailed Smith as a hero. The province's police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, is investigating the conduct of the officers, as is customary when an officer's actions may have resulted in death, serious injury, or the discharge of a firearm. Nosy Mag reported in September that Sean Ward was one of 128 plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the government over the Canadian military's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
With files from CityNews, CBC News and Global News