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Officer fended off Ontario synagogue gunman despite being shot multiple times, authorities say
CBS News • • world
Key Points:
- Constable Jeff Smith bravely confronted a gunman targeting an Ontario synagogue on Yom Kippur, continuing to fight despite being shot multiple times in the head and torso.
- Smith's and Constable Mike McCurdy’s quick actions prevented the attacker from entering the Sons of Jacob Synagogue, averting a potential mass casualty event.
- The shooter, Sean Ward, 29, was identified as carrying multiple firearms, ammunition, and gasoline, and was motivated by hate against the Jewish community during a holy observance.
- Smith remains hospitalized with serious head trauma and bone fractures, undergoing multiple surgeries, but is making daily progress in his recovery.
- Police confirmed the attack was a deliberate hate crime aimed at causing significant harm to the Jewish community and the synagogue in Belleville, Ontario.
