Toronto authorities are investigating a shooting incident that targeted a Chabad-affiliated elementary school in the North York area early Saturday morning. According to Inspector Paul Krawczyk of the Toronto Police Guns and Gangs task force, multiple suspects fired gunshots from a dark-colored vehicle at the Bais Chaya Mushka school, which serves Jewish girls in the Greater Toronto Area. The shooting occurred just before 5 AM on Shabat, and the suspects fled the scene immediately afterward.
The incident came to light when school staff contacted the police around 9 AM, reporting evidence of gunfire on the premises. While no injuries have been reported, Inspector Krawczyk stated that the front of the school sustained damage from the shooting.
Acknowledging the unsettling nature of the event, Krawczyk expressed his understanding of the potential fear and anxiety it may cause within the community, particularly given the involvement of a school. The investigation is ongoing as authorities search for the multiple suspects responsible for this brazen attack on an educational institution.
“We’re not going to ignore the obvious, you know, what occurred here and what the target of the shooting was,” Krawczyk said. “But at the same time, it will be wrong to just guess at this point.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford tweeted: “This is a gross display of antisemitism. It’s beyond belief that anyone could be this hateful. Every student deserves to feel safe at school. If you have any information, please contact Toronto police. These cowards need to be found and brought to justice.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said the shooting was a “clear, calculated and premeditated targeting of a Jewish school for girls. The fact a school was targeted regardless of whether kids were present or not represents another worrying escalation in the violence Jewish Canadians have been experiencing. We demand justice. We demand swift action.”
