Arrest of a Young Person for Two Synagogue Shootings
- Rochelle Direnfeld
- May 7
- 2 min read
Updated: May 8
On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, Toronto Police and York Regional Police announced that they had arrested an 18-year-old male in relation to the March 6, 2026, shootings of the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto Synagogue in Thornhill and the Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue in Toronto.
The male, who cannot be identified because he was a young person at the time of the offences, is charged with the following:
Discharge Firearm into a Place x2
Mischief to Property Over $5,000 x2
Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm in a Motor Vehicle
Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
Possess Prohibited Device
Careless Storage of a Prohibited Device
Occupy Motor Vehicle with a Prohibited Device
The facts are as follows:
On Friday, March 6, 2026, just before midnight, sounds of gunshots were reported in the Clark Avenue West and York Hill Boulevard area of Thornhill. When York Regional Police officers arrived, they observed that the front doors of Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto Synagogue had been damaged by gunfire. Two occupants, who were inside the synagogue at the time of the shooting, were not injured.
Just after midnight, on Saturday, March 7, 2026, Toronto Police Service officers responded to reports of gunshots in the area of Bathurst Street and Glencairn Avenue. When officers arrived at the Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue, they located damage to the synagogue’s front entrance consistent with gunfire.
No one was inside at the time of the shooting and no injuries were reported.
Both police services advised that the York Regional Police Firearms Investigations Team and the Hate Crime Prevention Unit, along with the Toronto Police Service Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force, supported by the Counter-Terrorism Security Unit (Hate Crime Unit), were involved in the lengthy joint forces investigation.
ALCCA will continue to follow developments in this matter and provide updates as appropriate. A number of community members have commented on the absence of hate-motivated crime charges in this matter. We can advise that the investigation is ongoing, and that we are confident that investigators are mindful of the need to address motivation during the investigation.
About the Author
Rochelle Direnfeld is ALCCA’s Senior Criminal Counsel. She was called to the Ontario bar in 1990 and has served in the Ontario Public Service for over 32 years as an assistant crown attorney, deputy crown attorney, crown counsel, and finally as Deputy Director for Toronto Crown Attorneys in the Criminal Law Division of the Ministry of the Attorney General. Rochelle retired from public service at the end of 2023. During her career, she prosecuted a wide variety of Criminal Code cases in the Ontario Court of Justice, Superior Court of Justice, and the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Rochelle is also the Chair of the Canadian Criminal Law Working Group, a national initiative bringing together leading criminal lawyers to strengthen the legal response to antisemitic hate crimes and support victims across Canada.
She has also been selected to join the Toronto Police Service Board’s Jewish Community Advisory Table, an initiative aimed at strengthening dialogue and collaboration between the Jewish community and the Toronto Police Service on issues of community safety and policing.