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$680K raised for hero Belleville cop who prevented a Jewish massacre

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Cite

National Post Staff. (2026, September 25). $680K raised for hero Belleville cop who prevented a Jewish massacre. National Post. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/680k-raised-for-hero-belleville-cop-who-prevented-a-jewish-massacre

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

National Post · collected 2026-09-25 · by National Post Staff

Quick Summary

A GoFundMe campaign for Belleville police officer Const. Jeff Smith, who was shot while preventing a mass shooting at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue on Yom Kippur, has raised over $665,000 as of Friday midday. The incident occurred when alleged shooter Sean Ward, 29, fired multiple shots outside the synagogue, targeting the Jewish community; Const. Smith sustained gunshot wounds but is receiving support from his wife and the public. Police Chief Murray Rodd confirmed that the attack was hate-motivated, and a second officer, Const. Michael McCurdy, assisted in responding to the threat without injury.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 20, 2023 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, a police officer was shot during an interaction with an individual near the Sons of Jacob Synagogue around 7:10 p.m. Both the officer and the individual sustained injuries and were transported to the hospital. The incident occurred as Jewish community members gathered for Yom Kippur services. Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) was notified and is investigating the shooting. Premier Doug Ford condemned the attack, stating that those responsible should be arrested and prosecuted. Local police have not provided further details about the incident while the investigation continues.

Written for “Belleville Synagogue Shooting” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 55 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Belleville Synagogue Shooting
Crime & Law · 56 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
National Post
Hedges 4 of 21 claims Outlet record 60/100
CBC News
Hedges 0 of 19 claims Outlet record 74/100
Global News
Hedges 0 of 6 claims Outlet record 63/100
The Globe and Mail
Hedges 1 of 12 claims Outlet record 52/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 64/100
National Post
Hedges 1 of 20 claims Outlet record 60/100
The Globe and Mail
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 5 of 42 claims Outlet record 52/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
60/100
National Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
56
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-27 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

National Post · 1242 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)

Who wrote this

National Post Staff
17 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 She added that there would be an increased police presence in the area during the investigation.
🔮 The group said it would be prepared to carry out a violent attack in Israel, Judea, Samaria and abroad, and could strike wherever the opportunity arises.
🔮 And then he claimed he went inside the enclosure thinking something might be wrong with Peachy.
🔮 He questioned why Americans would even need Canadian-made cars, but added: “I do like their national anthem.”
🔮 The funds will be used to “ease some of the stress caused by this tragedy.”
🔮 Harry and his wife, Meghan, welcomed their son Archie in May 2019, spending the end of that year in Canada.
🔮 A report is mapping out the nearly 200,000 new voters that Toronto has gained since 2023, when Mayor Olivia Chow was elected.
🔮 A little more than three weeks from Toronto’s municipal election, Brad Bradford is closing on incumbent mayor, Olivia Chow.
🔮 When asked if they had to choose, 72 per cent of Canadians as a whole said they’d prefer a government that stands up to the United States versus 28 per cent who said the government should seek accommodations with the U.S. By comparison, 59 per cent of Canadians would prefer to seek cooperation with China rather than stand up to Beijing (41 per cent).
🔮 As for the success of the GoFundMe campaign, campaign organizer Derek Kreindler said in an online post, “I am astounded at the donations that have poured in, and never imagined we would raise over $500,000.
Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by National Post Staff
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 17 articles by National Post Staff →

Topics

Belleville Canadian GoFundMe Jewish Ont

Subjects

Smith PERSON · 10× Belleville GPE · 3× GoFundMe ORG · 2× Jewish NORP · 2× Ont GPE · 2× Rodd PERSON · 2× Canadian NORP · 1× Jeff Smith PERSON · 1× Murray Rodd PERSON · 1× Sean Ward PERSON · 1×

Narrative

The shooting described as a hate-motivated crime by Police Chief Rodd occurred as a Yom Kippur service was being attended by roughly 25 congregants and Const. Smith was stationed outside the synagogue for security reasons.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-27
🔮 As for the success of the GoFundMe campaign, campaign organizer Derek Kreindler said in an online post, “I am astounded at the donations that have poured in, and never imagined we would raise over $500,000.
2026-09-27 · National Post
$680K raised for hero Belleville cop who prevented a Jewish massacre · assertive framing

Claims (21 extracted, 0 hedged)

The GoFundMe campaign supported by the Canadian Jewish community for Belleville, Ont. police officer, Const. Jeff Smith has exceeded its initial goal of $18,000, raising more than $665,000 as of midday Friday. asserted
campaign → support → midday
Const. Smith prevented a mass shooting when he defended against multiple gunshots fired outside Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ont., by alleged shooter Sean Ward, 29, on Sunday night. asserted
he → prevent → night
Const. Smith sustained multiple gunshots wounds to his head and body. asserted
Smith → sustain → head
He was shot before he exited his vehicle, Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd said in a press conference on Thursday afternoon. asserted
Rodd → shoot → afternoon
“Jeff has a very long, difficult road ahead,” Smith’s wife Ashley Smith said on Tuesday in a Facebook post as she shared a photo of her holding her husband’s hand. asserted
her → have → hand
“But he is not walking it alone,” she added, expressing her gratitude for the outpouring of support. asserted
she → walk → support
The shooting described as a hate-motivated crime by Police Chief Rodd occurred as a Yom Kippur service was being attended by roughly 25 congregants and Const. Smith was stationed outside the synagogue for security reasons. asserted
Smith → describe → reasons
The 29-year-old gunman opened fire after shouting “you are going to die for the Jews,” as seen during a video the police played during the Thursday conference. asserted
police → open → conference
Police Chief Rodd added that the attack was an “exclusive threat to our Jewish community.” asserted
attack → add → community
Const. Michael McCurdy, A second police officer assisting Const. Smith, was not harmed. asserted
McCurdy → assist → Smith
As for the success of the GoFundMe campaign, campaign organizer Derek Kreindler said in an online post, “I am astounded at the donations that have poured in, and never imagined we would raise over $500,000. asserted
we → say → 500,000
My hope is that we are able to reach $1,000,000 by the time Constable Smith has been discharged from hospital.” asserted
Smith → reach → hospital
Former Bay of Quinte MP Ryan Williams took to social media to recognize the courage showed by Const. Smith for putting “himself in harm’s way protecting the community.” asserted
Williams → take → community
He also commendedConst. Mike McCurdy for his part in rushing to assist Smith. asserted
He → commendedConst → Smith
Running toward gunfire while everyone else is trying to get away,” Williams wrote on Facebook. asserted
Williams → run → Facebook
“We’ve spent the last few days talking about tragedy, fear and hate. asserted
We → spend → tragedy
We should also take a moment to recognize extraordinary courage when we see it,” he wrote. asserted
he → take → it
“Some donors have asked about the second officer that assisted Constable Smith before more backup arrived,” wrote GoFundMe organizer Kreindler. asserted
Kreindler → ask → Smith
“Constable McCurdy faced the same danger as Constable Smith while protecting the synagogue and those gathered inside, and assisting his fellow officer. asserted
McCurdy → face → officer
We are deeply relieved that he is safe, and grateful to learn that he was physically unharmed. asserted
he → relieve → ?
” Meanwhile, Sons of Jacob have also launched a fundraiser to help rebuild the damage sustained by gunfire and aims to raise $90,000. asserted
Sons → launch → 90,000
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