Overview
- Const. Jeff Smith has been released from hospital and is recovering at home after multiple surgeries for gunshot wounds sustained while confronting a shooter outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue.
- Police say the shooting occurred on Sept. 20 when Smith and Const. Michael McCurdy confronted Sean Ward, who returned after an earlier pass and ambushed the officers.
- The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Sean Ward, was injured in the exchange and died in hospital the day after the attack.
- Belleville police have described the incident as hate-motivated and capable of mass harm, citing video in which the shooter appears to say, “You are going to die for the Jews,” and combustible materials found in the suspect’s vehicle.
- A Belleville Police criminal investigation remains active and the province’s Special Investigations Unit is conducting its independent review of the officers’ conduct while the community and the officer’s family continue to express support.