Toronto police open hate crime investigation after Jewish girls’ school hit with gunfire in 2nd incident this year

Police in Toronto, Canada, are opening a hate crime investigation after shots were fired overnight into the window of a Jewish girls’ elementary school – the second time this year the school was targeted by gunfire, officials said.

The incident occurred around 4 a.m. Saturday at the 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 information about suspects at this time, Krawczyk said. The investigation into the incident will be led by the agency’s Gun and Gang Task Force with assistance from its hate crime unit, he added.

There were no injuries or reports of gunshots heard, and the building was empty because the school is currently closed for the Jewish High Holidays, Krawczyk said. In a news release, police said the suspect or suspects were in a motor vehicle when they discharged a firearm at the school. Evidence of gunfire was located at the scene, the release said.

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

“I appreciate the significant trauma that this can cause those in the Jewish community,” he said. “While we can’t say whether these incidents are connected at this time, it’s certainly a key aspect of our investigation.”

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

“We’re asking anyone who is in the area or who could have dash cam footage or other CCTV footage to please step forward and provide us with that evidence. Your help is vital to the work we do and to find those responsible,” he said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement on the shooting, saying: “I’m very disturbed to hear that last night, as families marked Yom Kippur, there were shots fired at a Jewish school in Toronto.”

“As we wait for more details, my heart goes out to the students, staff, and parents who must be terrified and hurting today,” Trudeau said on X. “Antisemitism is a disgusting and dangerous form of hate — and we won’t let it stand.”