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The man who allegedly triggered a shootout with a police officer outside a Belleville, Ont., synagogue on Sunday has died, the province’s police watchdog said.
The Special Investigations Unit confirmed that Sean Ward died on Monday night and said an autopsy will be performed Wednesday in Kingston, Ont.
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News of Ward’s death came as the Department of National Defence said its records show that a former Canadian Armed Forces member with the same name matches the description of the shooting suspect.
“He joined the CAF in July 2017 and 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,” National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin wrote in an email to The Canadian Press.
Ward, 29, was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition after the exchange of gunfire with a Belleville police officer who was stationed outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue. About two dozen people were inside the synagogue to mark the start of Yom Kippur, but none of them were injured in the shootout.
The police officer, identified as Const. Jeff Smith, was also taken to hospital in critical but stable condition.
Beyond identifying Ward as a resident of nearby Quinte West, Belleville police have not released any other details or spoken about a possible motive in the shooting.
The SIU said the suspect was armed with a shotgun when he opened fire at the police officer, and came within about half a block of the synagogue.
When asked at a press conference on Monday whether there was any evidence the shooting was a “terrorist attack aimed at the Jewish community,” SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette said she would be speculating, but “common sense would say that probably was the case.”
She stressed that aspect of the investigation is not the SIU’s jurisdiction.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2026.
