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Hate crime charges have been filed in the shooting death of a Jewish man in Chicago

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Chicago authorities have filed hate crime and terrorism charges against a suspect accused of shooting a Jewish man on his way to synagogue and then opening fire on police officers and emergency medical responders.

The shooting, which occurred Saturday, drew condemnation from the city's Jewish community, as leaders called for hate crime charges against the suspect and said the victim was targeted because of his faith.

Police said 22-year-old Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi shot and killed a 39-year-old man who was wearing a yarmulke head covering and walking to synagogue in the West Rogers Park neighborhood north of downtown on Saturday morning. As officers and paramedics arrived at the scene, the gunman fired several shots at them, hitting an ambulance before officers returned fire, hitting Abdallahi.

The victim's injuries were not life-threatening, police said.

Abdallahi remains hospitalized and has not been able to speak to law enforcement since Thursday.

Earlier this week, police announced that Abdallahi had been charged with 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. Officials at the time did not rule out the possibility of a hate crime but said they were working to determine the motive.

Evidence obtained through the suspect's phone suggests he was “specifically targeting people of the Jewish faith,” Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling said at a news conference Thursday. He did not provide any further details.

“This evidence allowed us to secure terrorism and hate crime charges,” he said.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said at the same news conference that the attack was “clearly motivated by hatred against our Jewish community.” He added: “There is no place for anti-Semitism in Chicago.”

Councilwoman Debra Silverstein, a Chicago City Council member who was among a group of local Jewish leaders who pushed for hate crime charges, thanked Chicago police for their work and her community for their patience.

“I know it's been a very, very difficult time for all of us,” said Silverstein, who attends the same synagogue as the victim. “We are a strong, united, resilient community and we will remain that way.”

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.

Snelling said Thursday that Chicago police are deploying additional resources around houses of worship and will pay “special attention” to the synagogue where Saturday's shooting occurred.

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