Suspect facing hate crime and terrorism charges in shooting of Jewish man in Chicago dies in apparent suicide, sheriff says

By Brad Parks, CNN

(CNN) — A man facing felony terrorism and hate crime charges after authorities said he shot a Jewish man and fired at responding officers during an October shootout in Chicago has died by apparent suicide, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said.

Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi was found unresponsive during a routine security check at the Cook County Jail on Saturday, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Staff initiated life-saving measures and Abdallahi was taken by ambulance to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the statement.

“There is no evidence of foul play at this time,” the sheriff’s office said, adding there was no indication of risk of suicide prior to the incident.

Abdallahi had been housed in the jail’s medical facility “as a result of the medical and mental health evaluations,” since being transferred from Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois, on November 15, according to the sheriff’s office.

Abdallahi was accused of firing several shots at a 39-year-old Jewish man who was walking to a synagogue before firing “at responding officers and paramedics multiple times from various locations” on October 26. Officers returned fire, striking the gunman, Chicago police said.

The victim was hospitalized following the shooting but later released. No members of the police or fire departments were injured.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling later said that detectives found evidence from Abdallahi’s phone suggesting he was targeting individuals of the Jewish faith.

In addition to terrorism and hate crime charges, Abdallahi faced six counts of attempted first-degree murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one count of aggravated battery involving a firearm. He was scheduled to be arraigned December 6.

Abdallahi was a Mauritanian national who was encountered by US Border Patrol in San Ysidro, California, on March 31, 2023, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in October. The agency had lodged an immigration detainer with Cook County Jail following Abdallahi’s arrest. ICE would not provide further information about his immigration status.

The Cook County medical examiner is conducting an autopsy. CNN has reached out to Abdallahi’s attorney for comment.

CNN’s Cindy Von Quednow and Whitney Wild contributed to this report.

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