The man suspected of shooting at a police officer outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, has died, the province’s police watchdog announced Tuesday, according to a report in The Canadian Press.
The Special Investigations Unit has identified the suspect as 29-year-old Sean Ward of Quinte West and said he died Monday night. An autopsy is scheduled to take place Wednesday in Kingston.
The Department of National Defense said its records indicate that a former Canadian Armed Forces member named Sean Ward, who was released from service in June 2022 with the rank of corporal, matches the description of the shooting suspect.
Ward was armed with a shotgun when he opened fire on an officer stationed outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue Sunday night. The officer returned fire, and both men sustained serious injuries.
The shooting occurred as Yom Kippur began and worshippers gathered at the synagogue for the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. People inside the building heard the gunfire.
Meanwhile, police in Ontario are investigating a separate alleged threat targeting a synagogue. Durham Regional Police said a 19-year-old man was arrested after allegedly posting online threats to carry out a shooting at a synagogue in the Durham Region.
Police said their Hate Crime Unit was alerted Friday, September 18, by an external law enforcement partner about threats posted on an online message board. Investigators identified the person allegedly behind the posts and carried out a search warrant at a Whitby residence the following day.
Alexander Parfitt, 19, of Whitby, was found at the residence and arrested without incident, police said.
The two incidents come amid a broader increase in reported antisemitic activity across Canada.