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Police and SIU officials inspect bullet holes in the suspect’s vehicle on Monday as they work the scene of Sunday evening’s shooting outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ont.Sammy Kogan/The Globe and Mail
The suspect in Sunday’s shooting at a small synagogue in Belleville, Ont., spent five years in the Canadian Army, but was released because he was deemed unsuitable for further military service, according to two National Defence sources.
One of the sources said the suspect, identified by officials as 29-year-old Sean Ward, of Quinte West, Ont., was removed from the military because he refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Globe and Mail is not identifying the sources, who were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
Mr. Ward died in hospital Monday night, according to Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit. He was injured on Sunday in a gunfight with two police officers.
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Sean Ward in an undated photo from Facebook.Supplied/Supplied
He had allegedly opened fire with a shotgun on a constable stationed outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, as worshippers gathered to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.
The two National Defence sources told The Globe that Mr. Ward was released from the military under a category called 5F.
The Department of National Defence website says a 5F release refers to people who are removed from the military because they are considered “unsuitable for further service.”
Documents on the National Defence website indicate that personnel who refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine were removed from the military on a 5F release.
Suspect opened fire on officer as worshippers gathered at Belleville synagogue for Yom Kippur, SIU says
The source who confirmed Mr. Ward’s vaccine refusal also confirmed that a photo circulating on social media showing a young man posing in a military uniform is of Mr. Ward.
A spokesperson for the Canadian Armed Forces confirmed that a man matching Mr. Ward’s description had served in the military from July, 2017, until June, 2022, when he was released with the rank of corporal.
“We are aware of the tragic incident that occurred in Belleville, and our thoughts are with all those affected,” National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin said in an e-mail.
Mr. Ward was a member of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry regiment, and did not deploy overseas during his service, she said.
The Canadian military did not immediately respond on Tuesday to a question about where precisely Mr. Ward had been posted.
However, a private named Sean Ward was previously listed as a member of the Edmonton-based 3rd Battalion of the PPCLI, according to past issues of The Patrician, the regiment’s annual publication.
A postmortem for Mr. Ward is scheduled to take place in Kingston on Wednesday, Kristy Denette, a spokesperson for the Special Investigations Unit, said in an interview. The SIU handles cases involving Ontario police that result in death or serious injury.
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Police work the scene of the shooting on Monday.Sammy Kogan/The Globe and Mail
Ms. Denette said Constable Jeff Smith, the Belleville Police Service officer who was wounded in the shootout with the suspect, remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition in Kingston.
Sons of Jacob is a small synagogue in Belleville with a membership of roughly 35 families. Early on Sunday evening, about 25 worshippers were about to begin evening prayers inside the synagogue, while Constable Smith kept watch in the parking lot in an unmarked vehicle.
According to the SIU, around 7 p.m., the suspect fired on Constable Smith with a shotgun and a gunfight began. A second officer arrived and fired at the suspect, who was injured in the exchange.
Dozens of shots were discharged during the incident, with about 20 coming through the synagogue’s front stained-glass window. None of the worshippers were injured.
The president of the congregation, Norm Weddum, credited Constable Smith with preventing a tragedy.
“If that officer had not been there, I probably wouldn’t be talking to you right now. Simple as that,” Mr. Weddum said in an interview on Monday.
With reports from Stephanie Chambers