Belleville synagogue shooting suspect dies in hospital

Sean Ward, the 29-year-old Ontario suspect in a shooting incident outside a Belleville synagogue on Sunday evening, has died in hospital, according to the province’s Special Investigation Unit.

Police have said little about the Quinte West man accused of exchanging gunfire and shooting an active-duty Belleville Police Service officer stationed outside the place of worship as congregants inside began a service to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest of days in the Jewish calendar.

Ward was hit with multiple bullets and reportedly needed to be resuscitated on the scene, Ontario Special Investigations Unit spokesperson Kristy Denette said in a Monday news conference. At that time, he was listed in life-threatening condition at Kingston General Hospital, where a post-mortem is scheduled for Wednesday.

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At last report, the injured officer, Const. Jeff Smith, is in stable condition at the same facility.

National Post also confirmed Tuesday that Ward is a former Canadian Armed Forces member.

A CAF spokesperson said its records show a Sean Ward that “matches the description provided” joined the forces in July 2017 and was “released in June 2022 at the rank of corporal.”

“He served as an infantry soldier with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and did not deploy during his service,” they told National Post in an email.