Chicago mayor’s response to shooting in Jewish community sparks backlash

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Chicago police investigating Jewish man gunned down while walking to synagogue

Fox News’ Jonathan Hunt on Chicago police investigating if the shooting of a Jewish man was a hate crime.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is facing criticism on Wednesday after he released a statement offering "heartfelt thoughts and prayers" to the victim of a shooting in the city’s Rogers Park neighborhood – but made no mention of the victim being Jewish.

Social media users are pointing out that the statement is different from a message Johnson released last fall in which he said he was "devastated by the murder of a six-year-old Palestinian American" who allegedly was the target of a "despicable hate crime [that] is a shameful reminder of the destructive role Islamophobia plays in our society." 

The 39-year-old in Rogers Park was attacked Saturday while he was wearing a kippah and walking to a synagogue in a known Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. The suspect, identified as Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, allegedly shot at an ambulance and police officers before they returned fire and brought him into custody. 

"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 on X. "This tragic event should have never happened, and we recognize the dedication of our first responders who put their lives on the line during this shooting. 

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The victim was walking to a synagogue in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago when he was shot on Saturday, Oct. 26. (Fox32 Chicago)

"The Mayor’s Office is in close communication with the Chicago Police Department as the investigation continues. All Chicagoans deserve to feel safe and protected across the city. There is more work to be done, and we are committed to diligently improving community safety in every neighborhood," he added. 

However, under the Democrat’s statement, an X community note was posted adding the context that "Mayor Brandon Johnson is leaving out of his statement that the person is Jewish."

"Antisemitic hate has been on the rise in Chicago," the note adds. 

The mayor’s office did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Law enforcement sources told Fox News on Wednesday that Abdallahi is a Mauritanian illegal immigrant who was apprehended in Border Patrol’s San Diego sector in March 2023 and released into the U.S. 

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Police are investigating a shooting on Saturday, Oct. 26 in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. (Fox32 Chicago)

In his October 2023 post regarding the death of a Palestinian American, Johnson said, "We grieve alongside his family and the Muslim, Arab and Palestinian communities in our state as we reckon with this unthinkable loss." 

In that case, authorities say a landlord in the Chicago suburb of Plainfield fatally stabbed the child and attempted to kill his mother because of their Muslim faith and as a response to the Israel-Hamas war, according to the Associated Press, which also reported that the assailant has pleaded not guilty to hate crime and murder charges. 

Debra Silverstein, a 50th Ward alderman, said the male victim in the Rogers Park shooting was targeted "on Shabbat following the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah." 

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 15. (Reuters/Vincent Alban)

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Abdallahi is facing 14 felony counts, including six counts of attempted murder, but Silverstein has expressed frustration that no hate crime charges have been filed yet. 

Fox News' Bill Melugin and Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.