A Jewish man was shot multiple times as he was walking to his synagogue on the morning of October 26th in Chicago, according to reports from the city’s police department as well as various news outlets such as Fox 32 Chicago and the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS).
Orthodox Jewish Chicago man, 39, shot en route to synagogue on Shabbat
Footage purporting to be from a doorbell camera that circulated on social media is being interpreted, by some, to indicate that the shooter said “Allahu akbar.”
Read more https://t.co/rOVMPXwZqK pic.twitter.com/unuTV4FxtM— Jewish News Syndicate (@JNS_org) October 28, 2024
The victim, a 39-year-old man whose identity has not been released, was walking to the Congregation KINS, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Chicago, in the city’s West Rogers Park, when a 23-year-old gunman approached from behind and fired multiple shots, striking the victim in the shoulder.
The shooting took place in the 2600 block of North Washtenaw Avenue, which is home to many Orthodox Jewish families.
The Chicago Police Department told the JNS that the incident is under investigation but did not confirm if the victim is Jewish. When asked if the victim was wearing anything that identified him as an Orthodox Jew, Deputy Police Chief Kevin Bruno said, “The victim is from the community.”
Chicago Police said the man, identified as Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, then exchanged fire with law enforcement officers for two and a half minutes after police and paramedics arrived at the scene. Police shot the gunman, who was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The victim was released from the hospital on the afternoon of October 26th.
It is a hate crime.. no sugarcoating it
— RedDevilZone (@RedDevilZone_) October 27, 2024
Abdallahi was charged with 14 total felony counts, which include six counts of attempted first-degree murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm toward a police officer/firefighter, and one count of aggravated battery with the discharge of a firearm.
Footage of the incident shared on social media platforms showed Abdallahi shooting toward a Chicago Fire Department ambulance, which speedily drove away, and then at a man walking his dog before engaging in the shootout with the authorities. The assailant was also heard screaming “Allahu akbar,” or “God is the greatest” in Arabic before the shootout.
“Responding officers responded to the scene, and as they were on the scene, at about 9:55, the offender reemerged from an alley and fired shots at the officers and at the responding paramedics,” Bruno said. “Over the next two-and-a-half minutes, the offender emerged from various locations and exchanged shots with the officers.”
CPD Cover Up ... An illegal from Africa shot an Orthodox Jew and police officers while shouting "Allahu Akbar" in Chicago
Police are refusing to say:
-What he was yelling
-Immigration status
-A possible motive#Chicago #Migrant #Crime @borderObserver pic.twitter.com/E5t6xrEq0p— SubX.News (@SubxNews) October 28, 2024
Speaking on October 28th, Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, cited the Chicago shooting in a list of recent antisemitic attacks.
While local authorities and Jewish organizations urged caution in concluding the motivation for the attack, Debra Silverstein, the alderman of the city’s 50th Ward, was disappointed by the lack of a hate crime charge against Abdallahi.
“I am very disappointed by this turn of events and strongly encourage the Cook County State’s Attorney Office to prosecute the offender to the full extent of the law,” Silverstein, who is herself Orthodox Jewish, wrote in an email to her constituents after charges were filed. “The police have assured me that they are continuing to gather evidence, and additional charges — including hate crime charges — can still be added.”
The shooting came at a time when many Jewish communities in the United States and all over the world are on high alert due to spikes in antisemitic incidents following the October 7 attacks by Hamas against Israel and the ensuing war between Israel and Hamas, which has now spread to other areas such as Lebanon and Iran.
