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Inside the Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, Ont., bullet holes are visible in the stained glass windows.David LeClair/The Globe and Mail
The ex-soldier who tried to carry out a mass shooting at a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., last month did not have a firearms licence at the time of the attack, according to a police source with direct knowledge of the investigation.
Sean Ward, a former Canadian Armed Forces corporal, died after a shootout with police outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue on the evening of Sept. 20, in what investigators have called a hate-motivated attack against the Jewish community. While worshippers gathered inside for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Mr. Ward ambushed a police officer who was parked outside to provide security, sparking a violent gun battle before he was shot and killed.
Since the attack, authorities have not released any details on the origins of the former soldier’s guns. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the police source because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
The RCMP, which manages the Canadian Firearms Program, declined to answer questions about Mr. Ward’s status in the national database for gun owners, citing “operational and privacy reasons, including the integrity of the ongoing investigation.”
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The Belleville Police Service, which is leading the investigation, also declined to comment on the shooter’s guns, or how the source of his firearms may have steered the focus of the criminal probe.
Despite being shot in the head at the scene, Belleville Police Constable Jeff Smith, the officer who was ambushed, called for backup and, with another officer, managed to thwart the attack and stop the shooter before he could breach the building’s doors.
Mr. Ward, who brought multiple firearms, including a shotgun, and significant amounts of ammunition and gasoline to the synagogue, died in hospital from gunshot wounds. Two dozen bullets pierced the building’s stained-glass windows, while about 25 members of the small congregation took cover on the floor. None were injured.
Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd has said Mr. Ward came prepared to inflict maximum casualties and was equipped “to carry on a gun battle for a long period of time.” The shootout marked a dramatic escalation of antisemitic attacks in Canada, and has fuelled calls for a national response and improved security at Jewish sites.
Firearms licensing can be useful to investigators after a shooting because it creates a paper trail for police to follow. When a gun is legally owned, police can often answer key questions much more quickly, including by tracing the firearm’s legal owners, origins and sale records. This helps investigators identify who acquired it and when.
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Gun licences can also help investigators reconstruct how firearms move from the legal market into criminal hands, which may reveal straw purchases, thefts, unlawful transfers or smuggling networks. The vast majority of illegal guns that are smuggled into the country cross into Canada through U.S. land borders, according to federal and provincial authorities.
While Canadian soldiers are trained to use firearms as part of their jobs, they still need to be licensed to own guns in their private lives, including non-restricted weapons such as shotguns or hunting rifles.
The Globe previously reported Mr. Ward was involuntarily discharged from the military in 2022, after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, according to sources. He later sued the Canadian Forces as part of a lawsuit filed by former soldiers who didn’t want to be vaccinated. Court records suggest the 29-year-old was struggling financially and held grievances against the army, and claimed he and other dismissed soldiers suffered “permanent psychological, physical and emotional trauma,” and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Most of the guns used in violent crimes and homicides in Canada are not legally registered, according to police and Statistics Canada data.
The gunman in Canada’s deadliest mass shooting, the rural Nova Scotia attack that killed 22 people in 2020, did not have a firearms licence. That became a significant part of the investigation because it raised questions about where his guns came from, who may have helped him obtain them and whether authorities had missed warning signs.
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Since the gunman was not licensed to acquire firearms in Canada, investigators knew the weapons had not been purchased through normal legal channels. The investigation ultimately found that all of the firearms used in the attacks were illegally obtained, and three were traced to the United States.
Constable Smith remains in hospital and continues to recover from his injuries, according to Belleville Police Chief Rodd, who thanked the public for their messages of support.
“His treatment has included multiple surgeries, and he continues to receive ongoing medical care. Considering the extent of his injuries, he is doing remarkably well, and we remain encouraged by his resilience and recovery,” he said in a statement on Oct. 7.
A GoFundMe page started for the injured officer by members of Canada’s Jewish community had reached more than $940,000 in donations by Friday.
Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, is also completing its own investigation into the shooting – a standard procedure whenever the actions of officers have resulted in death, serious injury or the discharge of a firearm. The agency said it had assigned six investigators to the case.