An illegal migrant accused of shooting an Orthodox Jewish man multiple times as he made his way to a Chicago Synagogue was found dead by alleged suicide in his jail cell. Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, died by suicide after hanging himself in his cell on Saturday, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
Abdallahi, a Mauritanian national, was discovered by Cook County Jail staff during a routine security check conducted on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Staff attempted life-saving measures after locating Abdallahi unresponsive. He was transported to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The sheriff's office said there was no indication of foul play.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of his death. Abdallahi was behind bars in connection with an Oct. 26 shooting near the 6800 block of North Washtenaw Avenue, where he injured a 39-year-old Orthodox Jewish man who was wearing a kippah as he was headed to a synagogue.
The victim suffered a gunshot to his shoulder and was transported to a hospital before later being released following treatment. When first responders arrived to assist the victim, they were allegedly met with gunfire from Abdallahi after he was identified as the suspect. Chicago Police returned fire and critically injured Abdallahi, who was then arrested and hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds. No first responders were injured in the incident.
Abdallahi was facing multiple charges, including terrorism, hate crime, six counts of attempted first-degree murder, and seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm at a police officer or firefighter.
