Police in Toronto, Canada, are opening a hate crime investigation after shots were fired into the window of a Jewish girls’ elementary school overnight — the second time this year the school has been targeted by gunfire, 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 Inspector Paul Krawczyk said at a news conference.
No arrests have been made and police are not releasing any 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, and the building was vacant 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 fired a firearm at the school. Evidence of gunfire was found at the scene, the release 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 people in the Jewish community,” he said. “While we cannot say at this time whether these incidents are related, it is certainly an important aspect of our investigation.”
Krawczyk said officials would consider releasing video camera footage of the incident, which will be examined as part of the investigation. The agency has increased its police presence in Jewish neighborhoods in recent weeks and will do so at the school as the investigation continues, Krawczyk said.
“We are asking anyone who is in the area or who has dashcam footage or other CCTV footage to come forward and provide us with that evidence. Your help is essential to the work we do and to finding those responsible,” he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement on the shooting, saying: “I am deeply disturbed to hear that last night, as families were celebrating Yom Kippur, there was a shooting at a Jewish school in Toronto.”
“While we wait for more details, my heart goes out to the students, staff and parents who must be terrified and hurt today,” Trudeau said on don’t. leave it alone.”
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