Police investigate shots fired at Jewish elementary school early Saturday

TORONTO — Toronto police say two suspects fired gunshots at a Jewish girls school early Saturday morning and damaged the building.

Investigators say nobody was injured in the shooting, which happened shortly before 5 a.m. at Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School.

Police say two suspects shot at the building from a dark-coloured vehicle, which was not on school property.

They are investigating the possibility that the shooting was hate-motivated, but say it's too early to draw any conclusions.

But on social media, Premier Doug Ford called the shooting a "gross display of antisemitism."

Several Jewish groups in the city say the incident is an escalation of violence the community has faced since the onset of the latest Israel-Hamas war.

"We’ve continuously been raising awareness of the troubling increase in antisemitic incidents that are becoming more violent and threatening. The stress and anxiety this creates for the Jewish community cannot be understated, but it is also of utmost importance that we continue to take part in Jewish life," a spokesperson for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said in an email.

Michael Levitt, CEO of Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, described the shooting as a "shocking escalation of violence" directed at Jewish children and called on political leaders to take stronger action to curb hatred targeting Canada's Jewish community.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2024.

The Canadian Press