Toronto police are launching a hate crime investigation after a Jewish girls’ school was hit by gunfire

CNN
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Police in Toronto, Canada, are launching a hate crime investigation after shots were fired into the window of an elementary school for Jewish girls overnight – the second time this year that the school has been targeted, officials said.

The incident happened around 4 a.m. Saturday at Bais Chaya Mushka Girls Elementary School on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the year in Judaism, Toronto Police Service Inspector Paul Krawczyk said at a news conference.

No arrests have been made and police are not releasing any suspect information at this time, Krawczyk said. The investigation into the incident is being led by the agency’s Gun and Gang Task Force with assistance from its hate crimes unit, he added.

There were no injuries or reports of gunshots, and the building was empty as the school is currently closed for the Jewish High Holidays, Krawczyk said. In a news release, police said the suspect or suspects were sitting in a motor vehicle when they fired a firearm at the school. Evidence of gunshots was found at the crime scene, the statement said.

The same school was also hit by gunfire in a similar incident in May, Krawczyk said.

“I appreciate the significant trauma this may cause to the Jewish community,” he said. “While we cannot currently say whether these incidents are related, this is certainly a key aspect of our investigation.”

Krawczyk said officials would consider releasing video footage of the incident, which would be examined as part of the investigation. The agency has increased police presence in Jewish neighborhoods in recent weeks and will do the same at school as the investigation continues, Krawczyk said.

“We are appealing for anyone who may be in the area or who may have dashcam footage or other CCTV footage to come forward and provide us with this evidence. Your help is crucial to our work and the search for those responsible,” he said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement about the shooting, saying: “I am deeply disturbed to hear that shots were fired at a Jewish school in Toronto last night as families celebrated Yom Kippur.”

“As we wait for more details, I have compassion for the students, staff and parents who must be frightened and hurting today,” Trudeau said on X. “Anti-Semitism is a vile and dangerous form of hate – and we will not. “Let it stand.