Hate crime, terrorism charges filed in shooting of Orthodox Jewish man heading to West Ridge synagogue
Oct 31, 2024
A man charged with attempted murder in the shooting of an Orthodox Jewish man walking to a West Ridge synagogue is now also facing terrorism and hate crime charges, Chicago law enforcement officials announced Thursday.New evidence indicates the 22-year-old suspect, Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, “planned the shooting and specifically targeted people of Jewish faith” when he attacked the 39-year-old victim in the 2600 block of West Farwell Avenue Saturday morning, Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling told reporters at a news conference.“This shooting is deeply personal to members of our Jewish community. We know that. But this shooting should be personal to everyone across the city,” Snelling said.Mayor Brandon Johnson said the shooting was “clearly motivated by hatred” toward the Jewish community. He said the attack was also an attack on the city.“Antisemitism in Chicago does not reflect the soul of Chicago,” Johnson said. “Everyone in our city deserves to feel safe. No one in our city should be attacked based on their beliefs, their religion, their identity.”
Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling announces terrorism and hate crime charges against Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi during a news conference Thursday at CPD headquarters. Emmanuel Camarillo/Sun-Times
After Abdallahi's initial arrest, Jewish leaders pushed for the suspect to be charged with a hate crime in addition to the charges he was already facing. Abdallahi was charged with six counts of attempted murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated battery, police said.Among those leaders was Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th), who has said the victim belongs to the same synagogue she does. At the news conference Thursday, she thanked the police department for their work and thanked her community for their patience.“I know it’s been a very, very difficult time for all of us,” Silverstein said. “We are a strong, united, resilient community, and we will remain that way.”Snelling earlier this week had called for patience while investigators looked into the motive of the shooting, saying charges depend “on what we can prove.” Snelling repeated that message Thursday.“There must be sufficient evidence to support hate crimes and terrorism charges,” he said. “It was important we took our time to thoroughly investigate and confirm that this was indeed a crime of that nature,” adding that the “public pressure” didn’t play a factor in the new charges.The suspect was wounded in a shootout with police officers after the attack, and he remains hospitalized, Snelling said. Unable to interview the man, investigators sifted through his phone and other digital records to find evidence to secure the charges.Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said based on the information contained in that digital evidence it was clear that the suspect didn’t set out to target just one individual. He “plotted on this particular community, sought out this particular community, sought out this particular faith," she said. Authorities didn’t release details on the evidence or the suspect’s alleged plans.“The efforts to engage in this crime were not spur of the moment. They were not simply to rattle at the time, but to inflict terror,” Foxx said.The 39-year-old victim was walking about 9:30 a.m. in the 2600 block of West Farwell Avenue when the Abdallahi allegedly opened fire, striking the victim in his shoulder, police said.As paramedics were rendering aid to the victim and officers were investigating the scene, the gunman emerged from an alley and fired shots at the officers, hitting a Chicago Fire Department ambulance, police said.The gunman continued to shoot at officers multiple times from different locations as officers returned fire. He was shot multiple times, then taken into custody and transported to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston.
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In a statement Thursday, the Midwest chapter of the Anti-Defamation League said the new charges “appropriately reflect” the nature of the crime, and the focus should now be on supporting the community.“We must all turn our attention to supporting the victim and the West Rogers Park Jewish community as they recover from this heinous act,” the organization said. “We need a whole society approach to stop the rise in antisemitism in Chicago, in Illinois and across the country.”Abdallahi was unable to make his initial court appearance Tuesday because of his injuries. His next court date was scheduled for Nov. 7.