Wife of wounded Belleville police officer says he faces 'long, difficult road'

Jeff Smith was outside a Jewish synagogue when a suspect fired on him, investigators say

The wife of the police officer wounded in Sunday evening's shootout near a Belleville, Ont., synagogue is speaking out about what she's calling "the scariest and darkest day" of her family's life.

"I don’t know where to begin," Ashley Smith, the wife of Const. Jeff Smith of the Belleville Police Service, wrote in a Facebook update dated Tuesday night.

"My words aren’t strong or steady yet, but I knew I needed to find them. I needed to use my voice for my dear Jeff, until he is able to use his," she wrote.

A Yom Kippur service was getting underway inside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday when a suspect later identified as Sean Ward allegedly opened fire on Smith with a shotgun, according to the Belleville Police Service and Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU).

Smith had been stationed outside the synagogue, which had requested police protection.

Precisely what happened before Smith was shot at is not yet known. The SIU — the civilian agency that investigates police conduct during officer-involved shootings and other serious incidents in Ontario — is focused on what led Smith and a second officer to fire their weapons.

The Belleville Police Service will look into Ward's motives, Kristy Denette, an SIU spokesperson, said Monday.

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Ward, 29, from nearby Quinte West, died following the incident, the SIU confirmed on Tuesday. He got as close as half a block to the synagogue, according to Denette.

Norm Weddum, the synagogue's president, said one of the building's street-facing windows was left with several bullet holes. Dozens of bullets also damaged nearby homes and vehicles, according to investigators.

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Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year.

"This was clearly a targeted attack against Jews gathering together to pray and be in community," the synagogue said in a statement issued Wednesday. "Jews must be able to gather, pray and live openly in our communities without fear.

"We will not allow fear to define our community."

In her Facebook post — which CBC News verified through a family friend — Ashley Smith thanked the "life-saving" and "steady, capable" hands of first responders and hospital staff, including "an angel neurosurgeon."

"Jeff has a very long, difficult road ahead," she wrote.

Smith also expressed gratitude to neighbours, friends, community members and volunteers.

"And then there are the hands that held me and my sweet girls when we were living through the scariest and darkest day of our lives," she wrote.

"Today, I held Jeff’s hand. And I thought about all of those hands."

Sons of Jacob Synagogue has hailed Smith as a hero and said in its statement Wednesday that "our prayers are with [him], his family, his colleagues and everyone supporting his recovery."

"We will never know what might have happened inside our synagogue had Const. Smith not been there," the synagogue added.

Smith's wife wrote in her post that "every scared soul who was there on Sunday night" was in her family's prayers.

An online fundraising campaign for Smith and his family, launched by members of Toronto's Jewish community, has raised just under $400,000, so far. A separate fundraising effort to repair damage to the synagogue is also underway.

Smith has been with the Belleville Police Service since 2013.

The force's deputy chief, Sheri Meeks, said Monday that Smith is "a long-standing and highly respected member of our emergency response unit, known by his colleagues as a dedicated officer, trusted teammate and committed public servant."

Sunday's shooting incident is also a reminder of the reality of policing, she added.

"The men and women who wear this uniform are not just police officers," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "They are parents, spouses, children, friends and neighbours. Every day they leave their homes and love ones not knowing what they may encounter. Yet when danger arises, they step forward to protect others."

With files from Sannah Choi and Kim Drummond