(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
A West Pullman man who has been charged with attempting to kill a 39-year-old man in West Ridge on Saturday morning and then opening fire on police officers and paramedics should also be charged with a hate crime, Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th Ward) said Monday.
Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, has been charged with six counts of attempted first-degree murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm toward a police officer or firefighter and one count of aggravated battery. Abdallahi lives on the city’s Far South Side, and the shooting occurred on the city’s Far North Side.
The incident began around 9:30 a.m. Saturday when a 39-year-old man was shot in the back of his shoulder while walking in the 2600 block of West Farwell Avenue. The gunman did not say a word before opening fire, Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling said at a Monday news conference.
After being assisted by passersby, the man who was shot was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated and released, officials said.
When police arrived to investigate the shooting just before 10 a.m., a man shot at officers from a nearby alley, Snelling said. Officers returned fire, touching off a firefight that lasted two and a half minutes and ended when Abdallahi was wounded, Snelling said. Abdallahi was critically injured, officials said.
An ambulance was damaged by the gunfire, but no officers or paramedics were injured.
Abdallahi has not been interviewed by police, Snelling said.
Silverstein said she and the man who was shot belong to the same synagogue.
“I’m just really happy he’s OK,” Silverstein said.
Silverstein, the Chicago City Council’s only Jewish member, said hate crime charges should be filed against Abdallahi. The victim was in traditional Orthodox dress and on his way to synagogue to celebrate Shabbat when he was shot, she said.
Snelling said the investigation into the motive for the shooting is ongoing. More police work is needed before additional charges can be filed, Snelling said.
Chicago police are stepping up efforts to make sure West Ridge residents feel safe, Snelling said.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
