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BELLEVILLE — Ontario’s Solicitor General has ended all speculation about the motive in the shooting attack on a synagogue in Belleville.

This was a terror attack against Jews. Other speculation and theories have been ruled out, said Ontario’s top cop, including that perhaps it could have been an attack on the officer who happened to be at the synagogue.

“This was a massacre in the making,” said Michael Kerzner at the scene of the horrific Yom Kippur shooting incident Sunday night in Belleville. “This was an antisemitic attack. It was planned.”

@TeamKerzner Solicitor General Michael Kerzner says the synagogue attack was a “massacre in the making” and an “antisemitic attack” pic.twitter.com/FWs2QUqpPg

— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) September 22, 2026

If not for the heroic efforts of a Belleville Police officer who was shot while fending off the armed attacker, he said, it could have been something along the lines of what the world saw with the Hannukah attack in Australia. It was that close.

As the province’s Special Investigations Unit surveys the wild scene that includes up to 30 gunshots, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs CEO Noah Shack made the point that this incident is a reminder that Ontario was “one misstep away” from the type of attack that hit Bondi Beach, Australia, in December 2025.

Kerzner agreed.

“It didn’t happen through divine intervention that we have the officer here,” said Kerzner.

Wounded officer a ‘hero’

Const. Jeff Smith remains in critical condition with gunshot wounds to the face and upper body, but amongst people here is now a legendary figure.

“He is a hero,” said Sons of Jacob Synagogue congregation president Norm Weddum. “And so is the responding officer.”

Without them, who knows how many people would have been killed?

“I am quite sure the shooter would have come inside and killed us all,” said Mike Devolin, who was doing security for his congregation and praised the officers’ bravery.

“We would have been in trouble without them,” he said.

Both officers fired shots at the suspect, Sean Ward, who reportedly died of his injuries in a hospital on Monday night.

The Canadian Armed Forces also confirmed that Ward joined the CAF in July 2017 and was released in 2022 at the rank of corporal. A Department of National Defence spokesperson said he served with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, but was not deployed.

“We remain ready to provide assistance to the investigation if required,” media relations officer Andree-Anne Poulin said.

One of Ward’s former employers told the Toronto Sun that the 29-year-old told him that he left the military voluntarily after refusing to take a COVID-19 vaccine and indicated that he had some issues with government rule.

At what has been confirmed to be Ward’s home between Trenton and Belleville in Quinte West, neighours said that Ward was often seen in the yard and always friendly.

This is the home of Belleville synagogue shooting suspect Sean Ward — a former military soldier with the Canadian Armed Forces, who died Tuesday after gunshots he received in a gun fight with Belleville please on Yom Kippur. Two police cars are guarding the home and a search… pic.twitter.com/53wbaJPcWf

— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) September 22, 2026

The bungalow is on a large lot and has a swimming pool in the backyard.

A bass boat in the driveway was idle this summer, according to one neighbour who said he saw him use it last summer.

Neighbours said that Ward lived with his mother, who they described as a nice lady, and often dropped off vegetables.

Police have not commented on the investigation, but Weddum said he has been told there is a lot of focus on the suspect’s silvery gold pickup truck with Alberta licence plates that was still parked on a sidewalk across the street from the synagogue.

Motive still a mystery

Several sources said ammunition inside the truck was part of the probe. Police were working on a search warrant for the truck and his home, which is in Quite West and was under police guard.

While the shooter’s motive remains a mystery, what is known is he started shooting at the officer protecting the 20-plus congregants inside the synagogue for a 7 p.m. service.

“The first person he went for was the police officer,” said Weddum. “We heard the loud booms inside.”

This is the scene in Belleville at the Son’s of Jacob Synagogue shooting on Yom Kippur pic.twitter.com/grSIBm605r

— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) September 22, 2026

He said an “all-out gunfight” ensued and people inside hit the floor. Late in the incident, Weddum said, “We saw the shots come through the stained-glass window.

“It seemed to go on forever, but it was just for a few seconds.”

Neither police nor the SIU have confirmed how many shots were fired, but Weddum said between 20 and 30 would not surprise him. He said memorial lighting was also shot up.

“Eventually the shooting stopped,” he said.

When he went outside, he saw the Belleville officer being treated on the ground and the alleged shooter being loaded into an ambulance.

“We were all shook up,” said Weddum. “Many people still are.”

But he said that when the crime scene is cleaned up, they will open the doors again. This synagogue has been serving the Jewish community in Belleville for 125 years.

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