Canada Charges 18-Year-Old in March Shootings at Two Toronto-Area Synagogues

Charges have been filed against an 18-year-old from Toronto, Canada, who fired at two synagogues this past March. According to police, the suspect is accused of multiple serious firearms offenses and of property damage after the entrance doors of the buildings were damaged.

According to case details, on the night of March 6, shortly before midnight, police were called to a synagogue in Vaughan, where signs of gunfire and damage to the entrance doors were found. Two worshipers were inside the building during the incident, but they were not hurt. About 20 minutes later, another report came in of shots fired at a synagogue in Toronto, and officers there also confirmed damage at the building's entrance consistent with gunfire.

The suspect, who has no fixed address, faces nine charges, including two counts of discharging a firearm at a place of worship, two counts of causing property damage in an amount exceeding $5,000, as well as additional offenses related to possessing a firearm without a license. His identity has not been released because he was 17 at the time of the acts.

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw commented on the incidents: "These incidents were a terrible act of violence against the Jewish community in our cities".