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Chicago police are investigating the motive after a Jewish man was shot on his way to synagogue

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Leaders of Chicago's Jewish community are calling for hate crime charges against a suspect accused of shooting a man who was on his way to a synagogue and then firing at police and emergency responders.

Police said 22-year-old Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi of Chicago walked up to a 39-year-old man wearing a yarmulke head covering and shot him in the shoulder in the West Rogers Park neighborhood north of downtown on Saturday morning.

When officers and paramedics arrived at the scene, Abdallahi fired several shots at them, hitting only one ambulance, police said. The officers fired back and hit Abdallahi, then rendered aid; He was taken to a hospital, where he remained as of Monday. The victim's injuries were not life-threatening and he was released from a local hospital, police said.

The Chicago Police Department announced charges against Abdallahi, including six counts of attempted first-degree murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm at a police officer or firefighter and one count of aggravated assault with discharge of a firearm. It was unclear whether Abdallahi had a lawyer.

Larry Snelling, superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, said Monday that investigators were looking into a possible motive as well as Abdallahi's background. He asked the community to be patient as the investigation progresses.

“We understand the concern over this incident and are doing everything we can to keep the community safe,” he said. “There is a lot of information circulating about the shooting and we ask the public not to make hasty judgments in this situation.”

Police referred questions about possible hate crime charges to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in an email to USA TODAY. The prosecutor's office said the case was in court on Tuesday, but the suspect did not appear because he was in the hospital. The hearing continued and the court ordered that Abdallahi remain in custody. The next hearing is scheduled for November 7th.

“We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners as the investigation continues,” the statement said. “As this matter is still pending litigation, we are unable to provide further comment.”

The FBI said in a statement that its Chicago division was aware of the shooting and was working with local and state authorities “to provide critical resources and support as we learn more.”

Jewish leaders were disappointed that no hate crime charges were filed

Councilwoman Debra Silverstein, a Chicago City Council member who attends the same synagogue as the victim, said she would like to see hate crime charges filed and the incident “has shaken my community to its core.”

“I am concerned that there are no hate crime charges in this case,” Silverstein said at a news conference Monday. “While the motive remains under investigation, the community is rightly concerned given the nature and timing of the attack.”

Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, director of government affairs for the Orthodox Jewish organization Agudath Israel of America, said he was disappointed that no hate crime charges had been filed, but said he understood that more charges could be filed later.

“We have just witnessed an act of violence that strikes at the heart of our community family,” he said at a news conference Tuesday at a Chicago-area synagogue.

“As a community, we are afraid,” Rabbi Levi Mostofsky, executive director of the Chicago Rabbinical Council, said at the same event. “When an obviously Jewish person is shot for no reason on the way to the synagogue in an otherwise quiet neighborhood, we are terrorized.”

Shootings come amid a rise in incidents against Jews

According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents in the United States, including harassment, vandalism and physical assault, have increased in the year since Hamas militants' deadly attack on Israel on October 7. There has also been an increase in reports of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The increase in such incidents has put all levels of law enforcement on high alert, as federal authorities monitor threats and local officials increase surveillance and security at mosques and synagogues.

In the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the agency's “most immediate concern” was violent extremists, individuals or small groups, who could “take inspiration from events in the Middle East to carry out attacks on wandering Americans.” . their daily life.

Snelling said Chicago police have been paying “special attention” to houses of worship for some time.

“We know what’s going on in the world right now, and we know how it can impact neighborhoods, communities and people of faith,” he said.

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

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