(JNS) — Law enforcement officials in Montreal are investigating a shooting at a Jewish school in the city’s Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, according to a police spokesperson.
Officers responded late Wednesday afternoon to reports of a potential shooting outside a school on Hillsdale Road near Van Horne Avenue, according to police.
Upon arriving at the scene around 6 p.m., officers established a perimeter and determined that at least one bullet had struck the school building. The spokesperson noted that the investigation remains in its early stages.
The incident drew swift condemnation from political figures and Jewish advocacy organizations.
In a joint statement, Yair Szlak, president and CEO of Federation CJA, and Eta Yudin, vice-president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs Quebec, decried the attack, stating, “We have had enough. Another Jewish school shooting in Canada.”
On May 25, two suspects fired several shots at the Bais Chaya Mushka School for Girls in Toronto at around 4:50 a.m., causing damage to the building but no injuries as the building was empty at the time.
Police were called to the scene at around 9 a.m. after staff called investigators with a report of “evidence of a firearm discharge,” according to Inspector Paul Krawczyk of the Toronto Police’s Guns and Gangs Task Force.
Police released video footage of the suspects on Monday.
While expressing relief that no one was in the building at the time, the statement condemning the Montreal shooting called for decisive action from municipal leaders to address such intimidation and hatred. It also urged all citizens to raise their voices against acts fueled by antisemitism.
The Montreal police have pledged to increase their presence at Jewish schools across the city as a precautionary measure, according to the statement from the advocacy groups.
Rachel Bendayan, a member of Parliament representing the Outremont district, took to social media to confirm that she had spoken with school administrators and community leaders regarding the incident.
