Toronto Jews injured in drive-by shooting with ‘gel-blaster’ firearm

Toronto police are searching for a suspect vehicle after visibly Jewish victims were shot with a replica firearm in a suspected hate-motivated assault in North York last week, an incident the community’s leaders said reflects a “dangerous escalation” of antisemitic violence.

According to the Toronto Police Service (TPS), an undisclosed number of victims, who were clearly “identifiable members of the Jewish community,” were shot with what was “described as an Orbeez-type gun” on Thursday in the area of Bathurst Street and Lawrencetown Avenue West, an area with a large concentration of Jewish residents, synagogues, schools and other facilities. Police said the victims sustained minor injuries.

The shots were fired from a vehicle described as a blue SUV, which fled the scene and was captured by a nearby residential surveillance camera at 9:47 p.m. Anyone with information is asked to contact the police directly or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

An Orbeez gun, also called a gel blaster, is a non-lethal firearm-like device that shoots small, relatively soft, water-absorbent beads. While available to children as young as five, they are often designed to resemble actual firearms and marketed to older users.

“Usually, getting shot by a pistol-like Orbeez gun feels like a quick pinch and may result in a temporary red mark,” according to Technology.org . “Rifle-like Orbeez guns are more powerful. It may result in significant short-term pain and bruises that last a day.”

TPS said investigators are exploring whether the incident was hate-motivated.

News Release - Suspected Hate-Motivated Assault with a Weapon Investigation, Bathurst Street and Lawrence Avenue West area, Video Releasedhttps://t.co/TLJ6qBe9J2 pic.twitter.com/17CwAqqKoP

— Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) May 2, 2026

Jewish organizations, such as the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, have marked it as another indication of the growing wave of antisemitic violence in the city, home to Canada’s largest Jewish population.

In a statement on X , it counted an assault outside a synagogue and the vandalism of a Jewish-owned store the week before.

“These targeted attacks are intended to threaten our community and force us to hide our identity,” it wrote.

“It won’t work. We are resilient, strong, and determined to live our Jewish lives freely and openly.”

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said Canada is “facing a wave of violent extremism and radicalization” that threatens everyone and “endangers the personal safety and democratic values of all Canadians.”

“Confronting these forces requires everyone to stand up and demand action before we face the kind of loss of life seen in Australia, the UK, and the U.S.,” it wrote on X .

The Abraham Global Peace Initiative (AGPI) and its founder and CEO, Avi Abraham Benlolo, anathematized the latest incident and demanded swift action to protect the Jewish community.

“This brazen, hate-motivated assault is unacceptable and reflects a dangerous escalation of antisemitism in Toronto,” it wrote in a statement.

“We commend the Hate Crime Unit’s investigation and urge swift identification of the suspect. Enforcement of the law must be paramount.”

The Abraham Global Peace Initiative (AGPI) strongly condemns the targeting of visibly identifiable members of the Jewish community with a weapon in the Bathurst and Lawrence area and demands immediate action by police and authorities to protect the community. This brazen,… pic.twitter.com/JvDyr23M8g

— Avi Abraham Benlolo (@AviBenlolo) May 3, 2026

On Friday, the organization called on the Ottawa to invoke the Emergencies Act to counter growing antisemitism and violence.

“If the previous government could invoke the National Emergencies Act on account of peaceful trucker protests and gridlocks in Ottawa, it can legitimately call the attacks on the Jewish community a national emergency,” Benlolo wrote in a National Post column .

The National Council of Canadian Muslims also denounced the “disgusting and deeply concerning” incident.

“This kind of violence has no place in Canada. Those responsible should face the harshest possible penalties,” it wrote on X.

• Avi Benlolo: Enough words. Antisemitism is now a national emergency
• Avi Benlolo: Antisemitism is a British problem, just like it is a Canadian problem

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