Calls for hate crime charges after Jewish man shot

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A Chicago man has been charged with 14 felonies after allegedly shooting a Jewish man who was on his way to a local synagogue. But some community leaders are questioning why hate crime charges have not been filed.

The Chicago Police Department said Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, is accused of shooting an unidentified 39-year-old man who was wearing a kippah, the Jewish skullcap, on Saturday, the Jewish sabbath, in the city's Rogers Park district. The victim was shot multiple times and was treated in a local hospital before being discharged Saturday afternoon.

“During the shooting, the offender approached a 39-year-old male and shot him in the shoulder without saying a word," Superintendent Larry Snelling said at a news conference Monday. Snelling said that there wasn't enough evidence to add hate crime charges to the list but said it remained a possibility.

The suspect then opened fire on first responders before he was apprehended, police said. The suspect was shot by police and is also being treated in a local hospital. There is a detention hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

Abdallahi is charged with six counts of first degree murder and seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm at officers and firefighters.

50th Ward Ald. Debra Silverstein, who attends the same synagogue, told the same news conference of increased fear among local Jews. "A man wearing the kippah as he walked to synagogue was shot and this has just escalated our anxieties."

Silverstein later wrote in a message to constituents that she was "very disappointed" that hate crime charges had not been files, despite "evidence that seems to suggest an antisemitic motive for the shooting."

Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, of the Agudath Israel of Illinois, told NBC Chicago: “There’s no question that from an emotional standpoint, it’s disappointing. But I think it’s equally important to understand that whether or not there is a hate crime charge, that’s a technicality. That doesn’t change the reality of our experience.”

Responding to a question about rising tensions in the area, Snelling said: "We are aware of what's going on in the world right now. And we know how that can affect neighborhoods, communities, and people of faith.

"It's not lost on us that there's hate paraphernalia that's being passed around."

The FBI said it was aware of the shooting and was working with local, state and federal law enforcement to provide resources and assistance.

A horrific attack took place Tuesday morning as a Lubavitch man was walking in Downtown Brooklyn near the Barclay’s Center. A masked and hooded man, yelling hateful rhetoric, approached him and slashed him in the face before running off.

“I can confirm that at approximately 9am this morning on Flatbush and Lafayette, a member of the Crown Jewish community was slashed in the face,” Rabbi Yaacov Behrman of the Jewish Future Alliance posted on X. “I just spoke to the family; he is hospitalized and requires surgery. The attacker allegedly yelled hateful rhetoric.”

According to reports, Hatzalah was called and rushed the Lubavitcher to the hospital.

“This is a very serious incident, and the Jewish Future Alliance is deeply concerned about it,” Behrman wrote. “Witnesses at the scene testified that it was unprovoked.”

A horrific attack took place Tuesday morning as a Lubavitch man was walking in Downtown Brooklyn near the Barclay’s Center. A masked and hooded man, yelling hateful rhetoric, approached him and slashed him in the face before running off.

“I can confirm that at approximately 9am this morning on Flatbush and Lafayette, a member of the Crown Jewish community was slashed in the face,” Rabbi Yaacov Behrman of the Jewish Future Alliance posted on X. “I just spoke to the family; he is hospitalized and requires surgery. The attacker allegedly yelled hateful rhetoric.”

According to reports, Hatzalah was called and rushed the Lubavitcher to the hospital.

“This is a very serious incident, and the Jewish Future Alliance is deeply concerned about it,” Behrman wrote. “Witnesses at the scene testified that it was unprovoked.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson condemned the shooting of an Orthodox Jewish man who was walking to synagogue, but drew blowback for not mentioning the victim’s Jewish identity.

Other political leaders have also condemned the shooting, which took place Saturday in the heavily Jewish neighborhood of West Rogers Park. The suspect, Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, then engaged in a shootout with police.

“On behalf of the City of Chicago, our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the victim and his loved ones from this weekend’s shooting incident that took place in Rogers Park,” Johnson wrote in a statement shared on X on Tuesday, adding that the “tragic event should have never happened.”

Debra Silverstein, who represents the area in the City Council, chided Johnson for omitting the victim’s Jewish identity.

“The victim was a Jewish man, who was wearing traditional Jewish garb, walking to a Jewish place of worship on the Jewish day of rest,” Silverstein responded on X. “Don’t erase his identity and don’t try to minimize the fear and anxiety my community feels after this attack. We’re scared and we need to know that our mayor has our back.”

The local Jewish Community Relations Council denounced the statement as well, posting, “What will it take for you to acknowledge the Jewish community?”

Johnson also took heat for waiting until Tuesday to condemn the shooting.

The criticism marks the latest chapter in his rocky relationship with local Jewish leaders. In January, Johnson cast the tie-breaking vote to pass a resolution in the city council calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, making Chicago the largest US city to do so. The resolution drew rebukes from local Jewish groups, including Chicago’s federation and the local branch of the Anti-Defamation League. Ahead of this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Johnson called the war in Gaza “genocidal,” a charge that Israel has strongly denied.

This week’s criticism extended beyond Chicago. Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York, a staunch pro-Israel advocate, also called Johnson out.

“Why not mention WHY the victim was shot (because he was Jewish)? Why not mention WHERE the victim was shot (en route to a synagogue)?” Torres wrote on X. “Any Mayor who cannot be bothered to acknowledge the antisemitism of a hate crime against a Jewish man heading to a synagogue is unworthy of the office he holds.”

Gun violence is common in Chicago — a tracker from a local ABC affiliate shows almost daily shootings — but the nature of this incident has drawn particular attention. Illinois’ Jewish governor J.B. Pritzker released a statement on Wednesday that referenced a potential antisemitic motive.

“I am deeply troubled by the shooting of an Orthodox Jewish man as he walked to his synagogue in West Rogers Park on Saturday,” Pritzker wrote. “I pray for the victim, his family, and our entire Orthodox Jewish community, and I support all efforts by law enforcement to investigate and prosecute this senseless act of violence.”

Pritzker continued, “The motivation of the shooter deserves a complete and thorough examination to determine if this should additionally be charged as a hate crime.”

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a member of the Democratic leadership in the Senate, also referred to the recent rise in antisemitism in his own statement.

“This attack on a Jewish man in Chicago during the Jewish holidays is unacceptable,” Durbin wrote on X. “Antisemitism is on the rise in America, and we must remain laser-focused on rooting it out. I stand with the Jewish community in Chicago and across the country.”

Abdallahi was due in court Tuesday, but missed the appearance because he remains in the hospital. He is now expected to appear on November 7. The victim, 39, was released from the hospital on Saturday.

Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling, as well as some Jewish leaders, have urged patience on the hate crimes designation as the investigation continues.

“There’s been a lot of information circulating about the shooting, and we ask that the public not rush to judgment in this situation,” Snelling said at a press conference Monday. “We’re continuing to investigate based on the facts and evidence available.”

He added, “We don’t just go in and assume that everything is a hate crime, but what we don’t do is rule out the possibility that it could be.”

One sticking point for many has been footage captured on a nearby security camera that appeared to show Abdallahi shouting “Allahu akbar,” or “God is the greatest” in Arabic. According to police, the comment was made during Abdallahi’s engagement with police, not during his attack on the Jewish victim.

“The statement that was made while he was engaging our officers is nothing that we could bring in as evidence at this point that would support any motive against his actions towards our officers as well as towards our victim,” Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti said at the press conference.

Chicago police have filed felony hate crime and terrorism charges against a man accused of shooting a Jewish man on the North Side over the weekend, in addition to 14 other charges he already faces.

Sidi Mohammed Abdullahi, 22, already faces 14 felony counts, including attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and attempted murder of a police officer, after allegedly shooting a Jewish man walking to synagogue Saturday morning. The victim was wearing a kippah, a traditional Jewish head covering also known as a yarmulke

Speaking alongside police and Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, Mayor Brandon Johnson said, "There is absolutely no place in Chicago for antisemitism. There is absolutely no place in our city for hatred against our Jewish community."

He also thanked 50th Ward Debra Silverstein for her tireless advocacy after the incident.

Foxx said her office's decision to bring terrorism charges underscore the gravity of the crime and its efforts to "destabilize our communities through fear and hatred."

Foxx, Snelling and Johnson all emphasized the additional charges are not the result of public pressure or media attention but instead a result of their ongoing investigation.