Canadian reports confirm that the gunman who opened fire on a synagogue in Ontario on Yom Kippur eve has died. The attacker, identified as Sean Ward, a 29-year-old former Canadian soldier, fired at least 23 bullets and seriously wounded a police officer who was securing the site, according to reports.
Canadian reports now confirm that the attacker who opened fire on a synagogue in Ontario on Yom Kippur eve has died, and that he has been identified as Sean Ward, a 29-year-old former Canadian soldier. The identification was made by Canadian media, who reported that Ward fired at least 23 bullets at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue, critically wounding a police officer who was securing the site. The officer remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition. No worshippers were harmed in the attack. This update follows earlier reports from the scene that the attacker had been neutralized and later pronounced dead.
At 19:13 Jerusalem on Monday, The Zioneer reported that a gunman armed with a shotgun had fired 23 rounds at a police officer stationed outside the synagogue, triggering a shootout that left the officer seriously wounded and the attacker hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. In the same timeframe, an update confirmed that the attacker had been pronounced dead. The identity of the assailant was not included in those initial reports.
The attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting Jewish institutions in Canada. As The Zioneer reported on June 22, 2026, a shooting in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges district near a Chabad center and kosher supermarket left a police officer and a Jewish civilian dead, with the attacker neutralized. That incident was initially assessed by Montreal police as directed at officers, not the Jewish community, per sources cited by CNN. The Ontario attack, however, remains under investigation, and authorities have not yet officially determined whether the motive was terrorism, a hate crime, or other.
The investigation is ongoing. The motive for the attack has not been officially confirmed, and authorities have not released additional details about the attacker's background or possible links.
3 developments
- DevelopingJewish-owned bakery in Toronto targeted by gunfire, second location vandalized in suspected hate crime
- StrongMontreal police believe Monday's shooting targeted officers, not Jewish community — CNN
- DevelopingMan, 50, fatally shot in violent incident, MDA medics say
- StrongTwo men arrested after pointing gun at Jewish worshippers leaving Sydney Chabad
Source and signal
- Open-source intake