Montreal Jewish school hit by gunfire overnight for 2nd time this week

Montreal police are investigating after gunshots were fired at a Jewish school in the city’s west end for the second time this week.

Police say they received several calls about gunshots near Yeshiva Gedola of Montreal, located on Deacon Road in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, at around 5 a.m. Sunday. 

When officers arrived, they say they found bullet impact marks on the building and shell casings on the ground nearby.

No one was injured.

Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) spokesperson Véronique Dubuc says witnesses reported seeing a vehicle fleeing the scene at the time of the gunfire. 

No arrests have been made yet.

Dubuc said police cannot confirm if there was anyone inside the building at the time of the event. 

A security perimeter has been set up for the investigation. 

Mayer Feig, a member of the Council of Hasidic Jews of Quebec, says shooting at schools is meant to intimidate the Jewish population in the city.

“They want to put fear into the community,” said Feig. 

“These things have to stop. This has no place here in Quebec, in Canada or Montreal, it’s not who we are. There’s a conflict going on thousands of miles away, don’t bring it here.” 

Both Yeshiva Gedola and Talmud Torah Elementary School, another Jewish school in Côte-des-Neiges, were struck by gunfire overnight Wednesday. 

Police said both schools were empty at the time of the shooting and nobody was injured.

According to Radio-Canada, school officials from Yeshiva Gedola are expected to hold a news conference later Sunday morning in connection with this week’s events. 

On Monday, a West Island synagogue and Jewish community centre were targeted by Molotov cocktails.

The events come at a time of rising tensions in Montreal related to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East.