A Far South Side man is accused of following and shooting a man walking to synagogue and then opening fire on police and paramedics sparking an exchange of gunfire Saturday morning in West Ridge.
Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, was charged with six counts of attempted murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, and aggravated battery, said police.
A motive remained unclear for the attack, which happened about 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the 2600 block of West Farwell Avenue, and left the victim in critical condition after officers shot him, police said.
Alderperson Debra Silverstein (50th) told the Sun-Times the shooting victim was a 39-year-old orthodox Jewish man on his way to services.
“Notably, and despite evidence that seems to suggest an antisemitic motive for the shooting, authorities did not file hate crime charges,” Silverstein said in a statement. “I am very disappointed by this turn of events and strongly encourage the Cook County State’s Attorney Office to prosecute the offender to the full extent of the law. The police have assured me that they are continuing to gather evidence, and additional charges – including hate crime charges – can still be added…,”Silverstein said.
Silverstein added that the victim, who declined to speak for an interview with the Sun-Times, was doing well and she has already met with him. Silverstein said the event has been harmful to the West Ridge community, which is disproportionately Jewish.
“The jewish community is always on high alert, and this is just adding to our anxiety,” Silverstein said.
The 39-year-old victim was walking about 9:30 a.m. in the 2600 block of West Farwell Avenue when a 23-year-old man following him opened fire, striking the victim in the 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, where he was listed in critical condition, police said.
Abdallahi, of the Roseland neighborhood, was scheduled for a detention hearing on Tuesday.
Check back on this developing story.