On Yom Kippur, a police officer and another man were wounded in an exchange of gunfire near the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario. The incident occurred around 7:10 p.m., and while authorities did not confirm if the synagogue or Jewish community was targeted, they assured there was no immediate risk to public safety. Premier Doug Ford condemned the shooting, emphasizing that Jewish people have a right to worship safely without fear.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A police officer and a man were wounded in an exchange of gunfire Sunday near a synagogue in Ontario as members of the Jewish community marked Yom Kippur, authorities said.
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authorities → wound → Kippur
The man was hospitalized in life-threatening condition.
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man → hospitalize → condition
The province's Special Investigations Unit said the exchange of gunfire happened near the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, about 110 miles east of Toronto.
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exchange → say → Toronto
Belleville police said the officer encountered the man around 7:10 p.m. and that both were taken to a hospital.
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both → say → hospital
Police have not said what led to the shooting or whether the synagogue or Jewish community was targeted.
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synagogue → say → shooting
They said there was no risk to public safety and asked people to avoid the area while officers investigated.
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officers → say → area
The synagogue's president, Norman Weddum, told CBC News Network he was ushering people into the sanctuary to begin services when he heard gunfire.
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he → tell → gunfire
"I could say, 'Oh, this is definitely someone … shooting here,'" he told the outlet.
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he → say → outlet
"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.
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we → run → target
And we hit the floor."
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we → hit → floor
The Special Investigations Unit, the civilian agency that investigates serious incidents involving police, said it sent investigators to the scene.
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it → investigate → scene
Belleville police said they would not provide further information while the investigation was underway.
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investigation → say → information
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the shooting took place outside the synagogue as people gathered for Yom Kippur.
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people → say → 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.
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Ford → disgust → 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.
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those → say → fear
"My thoughts are also with the police officer who was shot, along with their family and loved ones," Ford said.
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Ford → shoot → family
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also condemned the violence.
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Chow → condemn → violence
"Jewish Torontonians should not need police presence to observe Yom Kippur, or to simply live their day-to-day lives," she said on social media.
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she → need → media
"As long as we contend with rising antisemitism and hate, we will spare no expense keeping the community safe."
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we → contend → community
York Regional Police said there was no known threat in the region but residents should expect increased patrols at places of worship.
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residents → say → worship
Sunday's shooting comes months after Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that Canada was failing its Jewish community amid a surge in antisemitism.
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Canada → come → antisemitism
Carney cited shootings at Jewish schools, firebombings of synagogues and attacks on community centers and Jewish-owned businesses.
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Carney → cite → centers
His government announced millions in additional funding to help faith-based institutions pay for security infrastructure, training and personnel.
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institutions → announce → infrastructure
Synagogues in the Toronto area have also previously been targeted by gunfire.
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Synagogues → target → gunfire
In March, shots damaged the entrances of synagogues in Vaughan and Toronto.
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shots → damage → Vaughan
No one was injured.
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one → injure → ?
Police later arrested three suspects in connection with those shootings.
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Police → arrest → shootings
Earlier this month, a Michigan synagogue
in time for the Jewish High Holidays, six months after it was targeted in a terror attack.
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it → target → attack
The Detroit-area was on March 12 when a 41-year-old man rammed his truck packed with fireworks and gasoline deep into the building.
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man → ram → building
The FBI called it a "targeted act of violence against the Jewish community."
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FBI → call → community
The Aporia
