Shots fired at Jewish elementary school in Toronto for 3rd time this year

Shots appear to have been fired at a Toronto Jewish elementary school for the third time this year, according to police.

Toronto police say officers from the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force are investigating what appears to be a shooting at the Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School, which unfolded at around 2:30 a.m. on Friday morning.

On social media, police say they found evidence of “firearm discharge” at the school, which is located on Chesswood Drive near Sheppard Avenue.

There were no injuries reported to police as a result of the shooting.

2:18 Jewish girls school in Toronto shot at overnight, being investigated: police

In a statement, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she was outraged by the incident and that she has been in touch with police about the latest shooting at the all-girls school.

“Enough is enough. Antisemitism and antisemitic attacks have no place in Toronto,” Chow said.

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“The latest shooting at the Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School is unacceptable. Once again students, families, and neighbours are waking up to safety concerns.”

This is the third time this year that people have taken potshots at the all-girls institution, which serves around 250 students.

In October, on Yom Kippur, shots were fired from a vehicle on Chesswood Drive, striking the window, according to police

A few days after the incident, police announced the arrests of a 20-year-old man and 17-year-old boy in connection to the incident.

That incident followed on the heels of another shooting in May, in which two suspects fired shots at the school at around 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning.

There have been no injuries reported to police in connection to any of the shootings, but there has been damage to the school in each case.

A local Jewish community safety group said students had been welcomed back to the school despite the overnight shooting.

“As we assess the implications of these latest incidents for the security of our community, we are updating Jewish institutions across the (Greater Toronto Area) about the situation and the critical need for vigilance,” read an update from Jewish Security Network, a group launched by the United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto in response to a reported spike in antisemitism since the outset of the Israel-Hamas war.

*With files from The Canadian Press and Global News

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