A 39-year-old Orthodox Jewish man was shot while walking to synagogue during Shabbat in Chicago’s West Rogers Park neighborhood, a large center of the city’s Orthodox Jewish community, Lonnie Nasatir, president of the Jewish United Fund of Chicago, told JNS on Sunday.
The Chicago Police Department told JNS that detectives are still investigating the shooting and did not confirm the victim's identity as Jewish.
Kevin Bruno, deputy chief of the Chicago Police Department detectives bureau, explained during a Saturday press conference that around 9:35 a.m., a 39-year-old man was walking in West Rogers Park “when an armed offender approached from behind and fired shots at the victim, striking the victim in the shoulder.”
“Responding officers arrived on the scene, and around 9:55, the offender re-emerged from an alley and fired shots at the officers and at the responding paramedics,” even hitting an ambulance, Bruno added.
Bruno continued, “Over the next two-and-a-half minutes, the offender emerged from various locations and exchanged shots with the officers.”
Officers later shot the 23-year-old gunman “multiple times” at a different location, less than a quarter of a mile away, retrieved his gun, and transported him to a hospital in critical condition.
Neighbors initially aided the injured 39-year-old on the street, and he was treated at a hospital and released, Bruno noted.
When asked if the victim had identifiable clothing as an Orthodox Jew, Bruno would only say that “the victim is from the community.”
A video which circulated on social media, apparently from a doorbell camera, suggested the shooter may have said “Allahu akbar” as he engaged in a gun battle with police officers, but the police have yet to confirm that.
Debra Silverstein, alderman of Chicago’s 50th Ward, which covers West Rogers Park, assured residents that “thankfully, the victim is in stable condition and is recovering at home.”
After visiting the victim, Silverstein said he was “doing well,” adding, “I pray for his speedy recovery.”
The incident comes amid a surge in antisemitism in the US in the year that has passed since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
In September, the FBI released statistics which showed that hate crimes targeting Jews in the United States rose by 63% in 2023, with 1,832 incidents reported, compared to 1,122 the previous year, marking the highest figure ever recorded.
According to the data, antisemitic incidents accounted for 15% of all hate crimes in 2023 and made up 68% of religion-based hate crimes, despite Jews comprising only about 2% of the US population.
Earlier this month, new data from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) found that antisemitic incidents in the US have surged to record levels following October 7 of last year.
From October 7, 2023, to September 24, 2024, the group tracked over 10,000 incidents, marking a threefold increase compared to the same period the previous year.