The Globe and Mail
· collected 2026-10-12 · by Greg Mercer, Mercedes Stephenson
A former Canadian Armed Forces corporal, Sean Ward, who died after a shootout with police during an attack on a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, did not have a firearms licence at the time of the incident, according to a police source. The hate-motivated shooting took place on September 20 while worshippers were observing Yom Kippur; Ward ambushed and shot a police officer providing security before being killed by law enforcement. Despite his lack of a licence, Ward was armed with multiple firearms including a shotgun and substantial ammunition and gasoline, causing extensive damage but no injuries to those inside the synagogue.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
The ex-soldier who tried to carry out a mass shooting at a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., last month did not have a firearms licence at the time of the attack, according to a police source with direct knowledge of the investigation.
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who → try → investigation
Sean Ward, a former Canadian Armed Forces corporal, died after a shootout with police outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue on the evening of Sept. 20, in what investigators have called a hate-motivated attack against the Jewish community.
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investigators → die → community
While worshippers gathered inside for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Mr. Ward ambushed a police officer who was parked outside to provide security, sparking a violent gun battle before he was shot and killed.
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he → gather → battle
Since the attack, authorities have not released any details on the origins of the former soldier’s guns.
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authorities → release → guns
The Globe and Mail is not identifying the police source because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
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they → identify → case
The RCMP, which manages the Canadian Firearms Program, declined to answer questions about Mr. Ward’s status in the national database for gun owners, citing “operational and privacy reasons, including the integrity of the ongoing investigation.”
The Belleville Police Service, which is leading the investigation, also declined to comment on the shooter’s guns, or how the source of his firearms may have steered the focus of the criminal probe.
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source → manage → probe
Despite being shot in the head at the scene, Belleville Police Constable Jeff Smith, the officer who was ambushed, called for backup and, with another officer, managed to thwart the attack and stop the shooter before he could breach the building’s doors.
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he → shoot → doors
Mr. Ward, who brought multiple firearms, including a shotgun, and significant amounts of ammunition and gasoline to the synagogue, died in hospital from gunshot wounds.
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who → bring → wounds
Two dozen bullets pierced the building’s stained-glass windows, while about 25 members of the small congregation took cover on the floor.
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members → pierce → floor
None were injured.
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None → injure → ?
Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd has said Mr. Ward came prepared to inflict maximum casualties and was equipped “to carry on a gun battle for a long period of time.”
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Ward → say → time
The shootout marked a dramatic escalation of antisemitic attacks in Canada, and has fuelled calls for a national response and improved security at Jewish sites.
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shootout → mark → sites
Firearms licensing can be useful to investigators after a shooting because it creates a paper trail for police to follow.
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police → create → trail
When a gun is legally owned, police can often answer key questions much more quickly, including by tracing the firearm’s legal owners, origins and sale records.
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police → own → owners
This helps investigators identify who acquired it and when.
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who → help → it
Gun licences can also help investigators reconstruct how firearms move from the legal market into criminal hands, which may reveal straw purchases, thefts, unlawful transfers or smuggling networks.
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which → help → purchases
The vast majority of illegal guns that are smuggled into the country cross into Canada through U.S. land borders, according to federal and provincial authorities.
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that → smuggle → authorities
While Canadian soldiers are trained to use firearms as part of their jobs, they still need to be licensed to own guns in their private lives, including non-restricted weapons such as shotguns or hunting rifles.
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they → train → shotguns
The Globe previously reported Mr. Ward was involuntarily discharged from the military in 2022, after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, according to sources.
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Ward → report → sources
He later sued the Canadian Forces as part of a lawsuit filed by former soldiers who didn’t want to be vaccinated.
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who → sue → soldiers
Court records suggest the 29-year-old was struggling financially and held grievances against the army, and claimed he and other dismissed soldiers suffered “permanent psychological, physical and emotional trauma,” and post-traumatic stress disorder.
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he → suggest → trauma
Most of the guns used in violent crimes and homicides in Canada are not legally registered, according to police and Statistics Canada data.
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Most → use → police
The gunman in Canada’s deadliest mass shooting, the rural Nova Scotia attack that killed 22 people in 2020, did not have a firearms licence.
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that → kill → licence
That became a significant part of the investigation because it raised questions about where his guns came from, who may have helped him obtain them and whether authorities had missed warning signs.
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authorities → become → signs
Since the gunman was not licensed to acquire firearms in Canada, investigators knew the weapons had not been purchased through normal legal channels.
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weapons → license → channels
The investigation ultimately found that all of the firearms used in the attacks were illegally obtained, and three were traced to the United States.
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three → find → States
Constable Smith remains in hospital and continues to recover from his injuries, according to Belleville Police Chief Rodd, who thanked the public for their messages of support.
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who → remain → support
“His treatment has included multiple surgeries, and he continues to receive ongoing medical care.
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he → include → care
Considering the extent of his injuries, he is doing remarkably well, and we remain encouraged by his resilience and recovery,” he said in a statement on Oct. 7.
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he → consider → Oct.
A GoFundMe page started for the injured officer by members of Canada’s Jewish community had reached more than $940,000 in donations by Friday.
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page → start → Friday
Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, is also completing its own investigation into the shooting – a standard procedure whenever the actions of officers have resulted in death, serious injury or the discharge of a firearm.
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actions → complete → firearm
The agency said it had assigned six investigators to the case.
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it → say → case
The Aporia
