A second suspect has been charged in connection with two March shootings that targeted synagogues in Toronto and Vaughan, in Ontario, the Toronto Police Service said on Friday.
A 17-year-old male from Waterloo was arrested on Wednesday and faces two counts each of reckless discharge of a firearm, conspiracy to commit an indictable offense and weapons trafficking, police said.
Investigators allege the suspect and another teen, who was charged earlier in the month, fired shots at Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue near Clark Avenue West and York Hill Boulevard shortly before midnight on March 6. Two people were inside at the time, but no injuries were reported, police said.
Shortly after midnight on March 7, the suspects allegedly fired at Shaarei Shomayim synagogue near Bathurst Street and Glencairn Avenue in Toronto. Police said both buildings sustained damage to their entrances consistent with gunfire.
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw said the arrest “is the result of strong collaboration with our policing partners,” thanking York Regional Police and Waterloo Regional Police for coordinating “to advance this important investigation and enhance community safety.”
David Jacobs, a member of the University of Toronto governing council, praised the arrest but warned of what he described as a broader pattern of antisemitic violence in Canada.
“Sadly, there is a perverse normalcy to the violent acts of antisemitism occurring on a regular basis in Canada,” Jacobs stated. “Clearly the existing protections and criminal codes are inadequate in a rapidly changing Canadian social landscape.”
