Particle.news
Download on the App Store
24 ARTICLES
·
56m ago

Police Probe Overnight Shootings at Two Toronto-Area Synagogues as Patrols Intensify

Officials pledged faster security funding in response to community calls for stronger protection.

The Toronto police hate crimes unit is investigating after a local synagogue was vandalized for the second time in four weeks. A Toronto Police Service logo patch is shown in Toronto, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
Pedestrians pass by a police car parked outside Shaarei Shomayim synagogue in Toronto, on Sunday, March 8, 2026. The synagogue was struck with gunfire overnight. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan
Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto Congregation was hit with gunfire shortly before midnight Friday. No injuries were reported. (Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images)
canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney takes his place for a signing ceremony, in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Overview

  • Shaarei Shomayim in North York and Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto in Thornhill were struck by gunfire late Friday and early Saturday, damaging doors but causing no injuries.
  • The weekend attacks followed an earlier shooting at Temple Emanu‑El in North York, bringing the total to three synagogue shootings in the Greater Toronto Area within a week.
  • Toronto Police and York Regional Police are coordinating probes, have released no suspect information, and are examining whether the incidents are connected.
  • Police increased visible patrols around Jewish institutions, set up a York Region command post at Promenade Mall, and deployed specialized teams including the Integrated Gun & Gang Task Force and the Hate Crime Unit.
  • Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the shootings, and Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree vowed to speed security grants and strengthen hate‑crime laws with RCMP support to local investigations.