BELLEVILLE, ONTARIO — A Belleville police officer and an unidentified man were hospitalized after an exchange of gunfire near the Sons of Jacob Synagogue. The officer encountered the man near the intersection of Bleecker Avenue and Victoria Avenue in Belleville. Both individuals were transported to a hospital for treatment. The man was hospitalized in life-threatening condition.

Norman Weddum, president of the Sons of Jacob Synagogue, said he was ushering people into the sanctuary when he heard gunfire. "I could say, 'Oh, this is definitely someone … shooting here,'" Weddum 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." No one inside the synagogue was injured.

All Yom Kippur services at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue were canceled. Police stated there was no risk to public safety and asked people to avoid the area while officers investigated. Police have not disclosed what led to the shooting or whether the synagogue or Jewish community was targeted. The Ontario Special Investigations Unit sent investigators to the scene as part of its mandate to investigate serious incidents involving police. Belleville police said they would not provide further information while the investigation was underway.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow condemned the violence on social media. York Regional Police stated there was no known threat in the region but residents should expect increased patrols at places of worship. Prime Minister Mark Carney previously warned that Canada was failing its Jewish community during a surge in antisemitism.

Carney cited shootings at Jewish schools, firebombings of synagogues, and attacks on community centers and Jewish-owned businesses. The Canadian government announced millions in additional funding to help faith-based institutions pay for security infrastructure, training, and personnel. "Jewish Torontonians should not need police presence to observe Yom Kippur, or to simply live their day-to-day lives," Olivia Chow said. "As long as we contend with rising antisemitism and hate, we will spare no expense keeping the community safe," Chow said.

Why It Matters

The Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville has a history of being a target for antisemitic violence, as evidenced by the bullet holes in its stained-glass windows following the Yom Kippur shooting. In March 2026, shots damaged the entrances of synagogues in Vaughan and Toronto, with no injuries reported, and three suspects were later arrested in connection with those incidents. The FBI called the attack on Temple Israel a "targeted act of violence against the Jewish community." In 2025, the Jewish community in Toronto was the most targeted group for hate crimes, accounting for 35% of all reported hate crimes, despite an overall decline in hate crime reports. In 2025, there were 81 hate crimes targeting Jews in Toronto, making up 35% of all reported hate crimes, according to the Toronto Police Service annual report.

Timeline

In March, shots damaged the entrances of synagogues in Vaughan and Toronto, injuring no one. Police arrested three suspects in connection with the March shootings at synagogues in Vaughan and Toronto. The official record of the event states that an exchange of gunfire between a police officer and an unidentified man near the Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville occurred at approximately 7:10 p.m. on Sunday, September 20, 2026, and that both individuals were sent to a hospital for treatment, with one man in life-threatening condition. Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the shooting in a social media post on October 4, 2026. "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," Doug Ford said on October 4, 2026.

What's New

The official record of the event states that the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) was notified about the incident and sent investigators to the scene, and that Belleville police said they would not provide further information while the investigation was underway.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the shooting on social media, stating that Jewish people '"have every right to gather and worship safely and without fear"' and called for those responsible to be arrested and prosecuted. "We owe an immense debt of gratitude to this brave officer and to all the first responders who acted so quickly to keep the community safe," Ford said.