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Police Say Their Gunfire Killed One Victim in Manchester Synagogue Attack
Manchester police have confirmed that one of the men killed in last week’s synagogue attack died from gunfire fired by armed officers who were trying to stop the assailant.
Chief Constable Stephen Watson said on Friday that preliminary findings showed one of the deceased victims had a gunshot wound consistent with police fire.
Officers had rushed to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Crumpsall within minutes of receiving distress calls about a car ramming and stabbing outside the synagogue during Yom Kippur.
Two worshippers, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed in the incident, while three others were seriously injured.
Police did not confirm which of the two men was struck by officers’ bullets, but said the shots were fired in an urgent attempt to stop the attacker, Jihad Al Shamie, who was later killed at the scene.
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“This injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers,” Watson said, noting that the assailant himself was not armed with a gun.
The attack has shaken Manchester’s Jewish community, which had gathered for Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day. Many residents described the killings as the culmination of fears they had long carried amid rising antisemitism in the UK.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the community had dreaded such a moment, calling the day “one we hoped would never come.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy visited the synagogue on Friday, joining crowds at a vigil where Rabbi Daniel Walker described the victims as “truly wonderful, special men.”
The Community Security Trust, which tracks antisemitic incidents, reported record levels last year, adding to concerns among British Jews about safety.
In London, police urged the cancellation of pro-Palestinian protests planned for the weekend, saying resources were needed to protect vulnerable communities following the Manchester attack.
