Man faces hate crime and terrorism charges in shooting of Jewish man on Chicago's North Side

CHICAGO (CBS) – Police and prosecutors announced Thursday that terrorism and hate crime charges have been filed against the man accused of shooting an Orthodox Jew in the West Ridge neighborhood and then opening fire on police and paramedics.

Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, had already done it was charged with six counts of attempted first-degree murderseven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated assault.

On Thursday, police Sut. Larry Snelling announced that Abdallahi was also charged with one count of terrorism and one count of hate crimes.

Police said Abdallahi shot a 39-year-old man about 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the 2600 block of West Farwell Avenue in the West Ridge or West Rogers Park neighborhood.

When first responders arrived at the scene, the suspect allegedly opened fire on them and struck an ambulance. No officers or paramedics were hit.

Chicago police officers returned fire, striking the suspect multiple times. He was taken to hospital in critical condition.

“We want everyone to know that we will never tolerate violence based on hate and bigotry. This shooting is deeply personal for members of our Jewish community. We know that. But this shooting should be personal to everyone across the city,” Snelling said.

Earlier this week, police said there was insufficient evidence to file hate crime charges against Abdallahi, but Snelling said further investigation has since revealed that Abdallahi targeted the victim because of his Jewish faith. The commissioner said it is important that investigators take the time to confirm that the shooting was indeed a hate crime before filing such charges.

“I want to make this clear to everyone in every community. We did not receive this indictment because of public pressure or media attention,” he said. “Gathering evidence and facts takes time, and we must do it in a timely manner so that we do not hinder the possibility of prosecution. We will never do things based only on one belief. We need evidence.”

Snelling said that because Abdallahi is still hospitalized after being shot by police, investigators were unable to interview him but were able to review evidence on his phone that suggested he specifically targeted people of the Jewish faith.

Mayor says shooting was “clearly motivated by hate.”

Snelling declined to provide details about what was found on Abdallahi's phone, saying the evidence would be revealed in court. As Abdallahi remains hospitalized, he has not yet appeared in court to face the charges against him.

The victim, an Orthodox Jewish man, was wearing a yarmulke as he walked to his synagogue at the time of the shooting.

Asked what police had learned about Abdallahi's country of origin or criminal background, Snelling said, “Those things are still under investigation because we are still working with our federal partners to get more information about this individual.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson, who earlier this week stressed patience in investigating the motive for the shooting, said Thursday that the act was “clearly motivated by hate.”

“There is absolutely no place for anti-Semitism in Chicago. There is no place in our city for hatred against our Jewish community,” he said. “The hatred of our Jewish community is not only vile, it is evil, and as a leader of this city, as a husband, as a father, it pains me and breaks my heart to know that our Jewish community does not feel this.” safe and secure in our beloved city. This is not just an attack against our beloved Jewish community, it was an attack against us as a city.

Johnson, who did not mention the victim's religious beliefs in his first public statement about the shooting, was criticized by Silverstein and others for not calling the shooting a hate crime earlier, but said it would have been irresponsible to comment on it motive of the shooter before police completed their investigation.

“I am appalled and outraged by this person’s evil behavior,” Johnson said after the hate crime charge was announced.

Snelling also defended the mayor Thursday, saying police had previously told him they had not yet proven the shooter's motive.

“We have to be careful when we reveal ethnic affiliations or religious affiliations because if we put something out there that sounds like the only reason we had for trying to call this a hate crime is because a person was of Muslim faith and…” “The other person was of Jewish faith, that would be irresponsible of us if we didn’t have the evidence for it. So we continued to work to gather the information to make that happen,” he said.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx called the shooting a “completely senseless act of violence.”

“These charges reflect our unwavering commitment to justice and our determination to confront acts of hate and violence. When a person targets someone because of their faith, ethnicity, or identity, it goes beyond attacking a single person. It becomes an attack on the entire community,” she said.

Foxx said terrorism charges are rare but justified in his case.

Ald. Debra Silverstein, 50, whose community the shooting occurred and who is the only Jewish member of the Chicago City Council, was among several Jewish leaders who had pushed for hate crime charges in connection with the shooting. She applauded police and prosecutors for filing these additional charges Thursday.

She also thanked her community for their patience as police investigated the motive for the shooting.

“I know that public safety is our greatest concern and I give my word to my community that I will continue to advocate for the safety of everyone in my community and I will work with our friends in the Police Department to ensure that They do this too. “Stay safe,” she said.

Silverstein said she was also assured that there would be increased police patrols on Friday evenings during Shabbat.

Silverstein said she and the victim belonged to the same religious community. She said she visited the victim on Saturday evening after he was released from hospital and he was “doing well”.

Abdallahi remained hospitalized on Thursday, but police did not have an update on his condition.

According to a CBS News data team Analysis of Chicago Police Department hate crime dataThe West Ridge community has recorded a dozen anti-Jewish hate crimes so far this year, including two robberies, a bomb threat and vandalism of property and a car.

The number of anti-Jewish hate crimes in Chicago overall has risen sharply this year, with 70 documented incidents, a 46% increase from last year's high of 48, and 2024 is still two months away.