A man has been charged with attempted murder, among other charges, after opening fire on Chicago officers who were called to the scene of a shooting Saturday in what some believe may have been a hate-fueled attack.
According to the Chicago Police Department, 22-year-old Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi faces 14 felony counts, including six for attempted first-degree murder and seven for aggravated discharge of a firearm at officers and firefighters after he allegedly shot a 39-year-old man and then opened fire on first responders who were called to the scene.
Abdallahi was arrested at 10 a.m. Saturday in the 6800 block of North Washtenaw, less than 30 minutes after the 39-year-old man was shot in the 2600 block of West Farwell in the city's West Ridge neighborhood, police said.
In the earlier shooting, police said a gunman emerged from behind and shot the victim in the shoulder. After police officers and fire personnel responded to the area, the possible suspect came out of an alley and began firing at officers and paramedics, police stated. The suspect emerged from "various locations" over the following two and a half minutes and exchanged gunshots with Chicago police officers, authorities said.
Officers returning fire struck Abdallahi multiple times. No officers or firefighters were hurt in the shooting, but Abdallahi was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The 39-year-old man wounded in the initial shooting was also taken to an area hospital, and was treated and released as of Saturday afternoon.
According to the Jewish United Fund, police said during a meeting with the group Monday that Abdallahi shouted "Allahu Akbar" while firing at officers, leading some to believe the attack may have been motivated by hate.
"Our community has every faith in law enforcement to thoroughly investigate the attack and to provide security in partnership with our own community security and safety assets, always, but especially now, but in a way that doesn't heighten anxiety," JUF said in a release Monday.
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Police have not confirmed those details to NBC Chicago, however, and no hate crime charges have been filed.
"CPD recognizes that the pace of publicly available information about the investigation adds an additional layer of frustration for our community," JUF's statement read. "Unfortunately, unsubstantiated and outright false information is spreading and is significantly contributing to unnecessary, unhelpful anxiety. Law enforcement's priority is doing nothing to jeopardize the investigation and eventual prosecution."
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Chicago Division said it "is aware of the referenced event and continues to work diligently with local, state, and federal partners to provide critical resources and assistance as we learn more."
"Residents of Illinois deserve to feel safe while walking our neighborhoods’ streets, and we are committed to doing our part to return a sense of calm to the community," the agency said in a statement.
The FBI urged anyone with information to contact them at (312) 421-6700 or via tips.fbi.gov.
