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Arrests made after shooting at Jewish school

Arrests made after shooting at Jewish school

Toronto police arrested two people Thursday for shooting at an elementary school for Jewish girls, police reported.

A 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old minor were arrested in connection with shots fired at Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School on October 12. Police said the shots were fired from a vehicle and struck a window of the school, although there were no reports of gunfire in the area at the time.

“I am pleased to announce the arrest of two individuals in connection with the incident that occurred at Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School on Saturday, October 12,” said Deputy Police Chief Robert Johnson. “Both men face multiple charges, including unlawful possession of a loaded firearm – a Glock handgun converted to operate fully automatically. While I cannot provide details on the motivation behind this incident due to the ongoing investigation, we are thoroughly investigating why these two individuals committed these crimes and whether there is a connection to the previous shooting at this school on May 25, 2024.”

“This is the second incident at the school and it occurred on Yom Kippur, a holy day for the Jewish community, making this even more devastating,” Johnson said in a news conference Friday. “The safety of our communities remains our top priority, especially as global tensions rise and the Jewish community observes the High Holidays.”

“The safety and well-being of our communities remains our top priority,” said Police Chief Myron Demkiw. “Our increased police presence across the city will last as long as necessary and demonstrates our commitment to the safety of all neighborhoods.” As I said, our investigation is ongoing and charges may be filed at any time – whether immediately after the incident or in the aftermath following days and weeks.”

Fredericton police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigate the apartment complex that was the scene of a shooting on August 10, 2018 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. (Source: REUTERS/Dan Culberson)

An attack on the community

On the Monday after the shooting, Toronto’s Jewish community held a rally of support outside the school.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow was in attendance and called anti-Semitism a “cancer” on society. “I am here to comfort the children and their families and to reassure them that the city and police will do everything possible to ensure their safety,” she was quoted as saying by CP24.

She was also quoted on CTV as saying, “Jewish families and the Jewish community should not have to fear for their safety.”

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“We are incredibly worried. We have seen a growing rise in anti-Semitism since October 7th, but we have not seen anything like this weekend, the shooting at this facility,” Steve McDonald of the UJA Federation told CTV. “And we really feel like this is not just an attack on this wonderful school, but an attack on the entire community.”

“This is not close to home, this is home,” Chief Rabbi Yaakoc Vidal told CP24. “We could see the suspects driving right here on the street and parking right here across the street from where we are right now. They came to the fence and fired shots and there were people waiting for them in the car and then they drove off.”

No injuries were reported following the shooting.