The wife of a Belleville police officer who was wounded Sunday night during a shooting outside of a local synagogue is breaking her silence on what she describes as “the scariest and darkest day” of her family’s life.“I don’t know where to begin,” Ashley Smith, the wife of Const. Jeff Smith, wrote in a lengthy social media post shared on Tuesday.“My words aren’t strong or steady yet, but I knew I needed to find them. I needed to use my voice for my dear Jeff, until he is able to use his,” she added.Her remarks come several days after a shooting erupted near the Sons of Jacob synagogue where her husband was stationed as a precautionary measure on Yom Kippur – the holiest day of the year for the Jewish community.According to investigators, a suspect identified as 29-year-old Sean Ward from Quinte West, Ont. exited a truck that night and fired a shotgun at the officer.Smith returned fire along with a second officer who was at the scene.Witness and SIU estimates suggest between 25 and 30 shots rang out, hitting both police and civilian vehicles, nearby homes as well as the synagogue’s windows.Smith was injured during the exchange of gunfire and was brought to the intensive care unit at a local hospital with critical injuries, but has since stabilized.Meanwhile, Ward was severely injured and transported to hospital without vital signs. He was later listed in life-threatening condition and ultimately died in hospital on Monday night.In her Facebook post, Smith’s wife expressed gratitude for the “life-saving hands” of paramedics, police, doctors and nurses who worked to save her husband’s life: someone she described as “man of integrity,” who loves his family and “gives freely.”She also thanked friends, neighbours and the Jewish community for their prayers and support.“Today, I held Jeff’s hand. And I thought about all of those hands,” she wrote. “All of the people who carried him, cared for him and held us when we didn’t know how we were going to stand.”“I will never forget any of it,” she added.