Two synagogue shootings. Two jurisdictions. One suspect. And two police services on the chase looking to make an arrest.
A manhunt is underway for a male — potentially a youth — who police believe was responsible for shooting up a synagogue late Friday, March 6 at Clark Ave. W. and York Hill Blvd. in Vaughan. There were two people inside when a storm of bullets came flying in. It’s a miracle no one was hurt or worse.
A short time later, just after midnight on March 7, the same thing happened at a synagogue in the area of Bathurst St. and Glencairn Ave. No one was inside but there are plenty of residents in that area who could have easily been victim of a stray or ricocheted bullet.
Now police have released images of who they are looking for. The suspect is described as Black, about 6-foot-1 with a thin build and black curly hair, both York Regional Police and Toronto Police said in news releases on Friday.
You can see the suspect pretty well in security pictures. Somebody has got to know who this is and can drop a dime and help police get him into custody. Interesting because police had to go to court to get special permission to use these photos and they only have a short time to allow media to share them.
“On Thursday, April 30, 2026, a court order, with a validity of five days, was granted to release the male’s photo as he is believed to be a youth,” said the release. “The photo is available for circulation until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 4, 2026, at which time it must be removed.”
So, in Canada, the rights of a person the police don’t even know for sure is a youth trumps the escalating and out-of-control scourge of antisemitism. Imagine what has become of Canada when the criminals get all the consideration and the innocent people who attend those synagogues have to make sure no rules are violated or that nobody is offended.
Perhaps society will end up having to apologize to the alleged shooter for having the temerity to show his picture? While this is said in jest, consider Toronto is a place where you have to register with the government every year that you are living in your home or face a fine, but all consideration is given to gangland thugs who run the risk of killing people by firing into places of worship.
There should be no pandering at all to a serious alleged criminal like this. The problems this suspect and anybody who participated in these shootings has caused Toronto and the GTA is enormous. As a result of it and other anti-Jewish attacks, Toronto is now a place where there are police armed with semi-automatic rifles on tactical patrols in and around Jewish neighbourhoods and outside main city structures.
But we, still, must cater to the criminal element. They are higher up on the rights food chain. They literally call the shots here.
Nonetheless, to try to be positive, at least there is a now photos for a short period of time and hopefully there will be a quick arrest. “The suspect vehicle is described as an older model black, four-door Honda Civic,” said police. “Anyone with information is asked to contact the York Regional Police Firearms Investigations Team by calling 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7817. Anonymous tips can also be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, or by visiting www.1800222tips.com.”
One thing that will be interesting if and when they nab this suspect is if they can expand the investigation to see if there are any accomplices. Police sources say it’s not uncommon in today’s world for someone to give a person with a gun an address and ask them to spray it with bullets in exchange for a fee. It has not yet been suggested that is what happened here, but if it is, it makes it more difficult to lay any hate crime charges since it may not be easy to prove the shooter was aware of what these locations represent.
Hate crime charges could be slapped onto a person who ordered such a target – if police can ever figure out who it was. In the meantime, whoever this alleged shooter is, there is a race to move forward to make an arrest because after Monday he gets the advantage that we all have to take his picture down. And when he is arrested, if he is indeed under 18, we not only will not be able to reprint these pictures, but we won’t be able to even tell you his name. The comforts of a youth charged with shooting up two synagogues are more important in Canada than the crimes against the Jewish community.
