British police have confirmed that two individuals caught in the chaos of a recent synagogue attack in Manchester were struck by police gunfire one of them fatally. The revelation has sent shockwaves through the local Jewish community and reignited urgent debates about
use-of-force protocols during active threats. This Manchester synagogue attack, initially reported as a lone-wolf assault, now carries the added weight of unintended casualties inflicted by those meant to protect.A Scene of Confusion and Tragedy
The incident unfolded just before evening prayers on 8 April outside the Central Manchester Synagogue on Jackson’s Row. According to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), a man armed with a knife approached the building, shouting antisemitic slurs before lunging at congregants. Officers responded within minutes, but in the ensuing confusion amid screams, fleeing civilians, and low visibility shots were fired.
“We deeply regret that during the lawful use of force to neutralize an imminent threat, two innocent individuals were struck,” said Chief Constable Stephen Maddox in a press briefing on 9 April. “One has since died from their injuries. Our hearts are with their families.”
Eyewitnesses described a scene of terror. “It all happened so fast,” said Miriam Cohen, 67, a regular attendee. “One moment we were greeting each other for minyan, the next sirens, shouting, then gunshots. I saw a young man fall… not the attacker, one of ours.”
Autopsy results and bodycam footage are under internal review, with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) now leading the investigation. Early reports suggest the deceased victim, identified as 28-year-old Daniel Levy, was attempting to shield another congregant when he was hit. The second injured person, 42-year-old Rachel Stern, remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Community Grief and Calls for Accountability
The Manchester Jewish community, already on edge amid a 36% year-on-year rise in antisemitic incidents across the UK (per the Community Security Trust), is now grappling with layered trauma not just from the attack itself, but from the realization that state intervention brought its own loss.
“This wasn’t just an assault on a building,” said Rabbi David Kahn, spiritual leader of the synagogue. “It was an assault on our sense of safety. And now, to learn that one of our own was taken by the very hands meant to defend us… it’s a wound that cuts deep.”
Vigils have sprung up spontaneously outside the synagogue, with candles flickering beside handwritten notes reading “Daniel, zichrono livracha” (“May his memory be a blessing”). Community leaders are demanding transparency, while also urging against knee-jerk blame. “We trust the process,” said Leah Goldstein, head of the Manchester Jewish Representative Council, “but trust must be earned through clarity, not silence.”
Looking Forward Amid Pain
As the IOPC investigation proceeds, GMP has pledged to review its active-shooter response training, particularly in crowded civilian settings. National policing guidelines already emphasize de-escalation and threat discrimination but this case may force a reckoning with real-world execution under pressure.
For now, Manchester mourns. Daniel Levy, a music teacher and volunteer youth mentor, is remembered not for how he died, but for how he lived: “He’d stay late to help kids who couldn’t afford lessons,” said his friend Amir Hassan, a Muslim neighbor. “That’s the Manchester we know the one that looks out for each other, no matter the faith.”
In the shadow of violence and misfire, that spirit remains the city’s quiet resistance. As communities gather in grief, they also stitch together a shared plea: that no more lives be lost not to hate, and not to haste. Because when protectors become inadvertent perpetrators, the line between safety and sorrow blurs in ways no policy can easily mend.
Ali Soylu is an independent journalist covering social justice and urban resilience. His work appears on travelergama.com, travelergama.online, travelergama.xyz, and travelergama.com.tr.
Contact: alivurun4@gmail.com
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