An 18-year-old man was charged with shooting at two Toronto-area synagogues in March; the Toronto Police Service and York Regional Police announced on Wednesday.
The suspect, who is not being named because he was 17-years-old when he allegedly fired shots at the Shaarei Shomayim synagogue and Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto (the BAYT), has been charged with two counts of discharging a firearm into a place, two counts of mischief to property over $5000, unauthorized possession of a firearm in a vehicle, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possessing a prohibited devices, careless storage of a prohibited device, and occupying a vehicle with a prohibited device.
On Friday, Canadian law enforcement had announced that they were seeking a suspect for his involvement in both shootings.
The suspect had allegedly fired at the BAYT on March 6, causing damage to the synagogue’s front doors. Two people were inside the house of worship at the time, but were not injured.
Shots fired at Shaarei Shomayim
Just after midnight on March 7, the suspect also allegedly fired shots at Shaarei Shomayim, again damaging a front entrance.
The two incidents were preceded by a March 2 shooting at the Temple Emanu‑El synagogue, leaving multiple bullet holes in the synagogue’s front windows.
