Two men killed in a pair of brazen Rogers Park shootings over a 36-hour period were shot in the head at close range with bullets that came from the same gun — and likely the same shooter, police said Tuesday.
Calling for help from the public, Chicago police released a surveillance image of a person in a mask wanted for questioning in the two murders — one of a 73-year-old man walking his dogs on Sunday morning, the other of a 24-year-old man of the Orthodox Jewish faith found dead on the lakefront path Monday.
“This person is clearly trying to disguise themselves,” Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said at a Tuesday press conference at the 24th District police station. “Clearly he or she knows what they are going out to do.”
After shooting the victim, the offender fled westbound on Sherwin Ave and then southbound in the west alley. The offender is described by witnesses as a male black, thin build, wearing dark clothing.
Detectives ☎️: (312) 744-8200
Anonymous tips 💻: https://t.co/1xUCRz71hV pic.twitter.com/8olRpa2VSd— Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) October 2, 2018
The elderly victim, Douglass Watts, was walking his dogs just after 10 a.m. Sunday near his home in the 1400 block of West Sherwin when someone walked up and shot him in the head, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
A day and a half later — and about a half-mile down Sheridan Road — Eliyahu Moscowitz was walking on the Loyola Park bike path about 10:20 p.m. Monday near Lunt Avenue when someone shot him in the head behind his ear, authorities said.
Johnson said the investigation is “still in the preliminary stages,” but expedited ballistic tests performed by the ATF confirmed that the shell casings found at the scenes of both shootings came from the same gun.
Police initially said Watts might have been shot during a robbery, but Johnson said Tuesday that nothing was taken from either victim. They did not appear to have any connections.
A possible motive is unknown. Johnson did not rule out the possibility of a hate crime.
“It’s just too early to be able to say that definitively, though we are looking at every possibility,” he said.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel urged neighborhood residents to “go about your daily lives, but be safe, smart and vigilant at the same time.
“Two men, different ages and backgrounds whose lives ended with the same gun used. Their deaths were senseless and tragic,” Emanuel said.
The surveillance image released by police Tuesday came from near the scene of Watts’ killing, showing a person dressed in all-dark clothing with a hooded mask. Police describe him as a black male with a thin build.
“There is someone out there who knows who this person is, whether it’s a family member, a friend, a trusted loved one — we need you to do the right thing and call the police,” Johnson said.
Watts’ shooter took off west on Sherwin and then southbound in the west alley, police said.
Detectives were still reviewing security video and identifying possible witnesses in Moscowitz’s death.
The 24-year-old worked for more than two years as a mashgiach at Jewel-Osco, supervising the preparation of kosher foods.
“Our hearts go out to the family of Eliyahu Moscowitz,” Jewel-Osco spokeswoman Mary Frances Trucco said in an email. “Eliyahu was also very personable and well-liked by his colleagues.”
Moscowitz’s father said his son was dressed in traditional Jewish attire and a long beard.
“I was in my car and two shots rang out and I thought maybe they were firecrackers, for all I knew, but like I said, I didn’t want to get shot myself and so I turned all the lights off in the car and got down in my seat,” said Jon Wijnberg.
Moscowitz was also part of the Pokémon Go community in the Rogers Park neighborhood, his friends said.
A vigil for Moscowitz is planned for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sheridan Road and Greenleaf Avenue. The vigil is being organized by his friends in the Pokemon Go community.
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(YWN / AP)
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15 Responses
ברוך דיין האמת
וד׳ ינקם דמם
In total shock!!! We’ve known Eliyahu since he was a little boy in my son’s class. We know the family very well. I am very close with his mother. They have been through so much in the past few years. Hashem Yerachem!
Eliyahu was the sweetest young man you could know. As the spokeswoman for Jewel-Osco said – he was very personable. He was so b’kovodik. This is a horrible tragedy. Hashem – ad mosai.
What is it with this crazy Chicago??Is there not one brave politician that can act like like Giuliani and clear out this gun epidemic in Chicago???
“a 24-year-old man of the Orthodox Jewish faith”
It was a Chabad bochur to be specific
HY”D
to Bitul. It goes without saying that this was a horrific tragedy. I looked at the article quickly and I didn’t notice anything in article about the bochur being Chabad. That’s not my point however; he may very likely be a Chabad bochur but I don’t understand why you felt it necessary to point that out. All that matters is that tragically a Yid was murdered and Klal Yisroel should not know of any more tzaros.
Mayor Emanuel is an idiot! “Be safe, be smart, be vigilant” he says after they were shot from behind!
Now that one of ours was murdered
Will the pro gun nutsbegin to wake up
Whats wrong with mentioning that he was a chabad bachur. Do u have issues with chabad?
If it was a bmg bachur ,would u also have an issue?
There are 2 kinds of people that would add in the detail of him being a Chabad Bochur. Both are offensive.
1. Anti Chabad people who want us to think it is about someone else.
2. Chabad people who want us to think it is all about them.
Was a young ehrliche bochur from a large family of people that over several branches and several generations have dedicated themselves to make the community better for Yidden. A member of Klal Yisroel to whom it mattered very much that people would eat davka kosher food of a high standard. Labels don’t add; they only detract.
Omg would you all please stop already with the chabad nonsense on this site? Chabad this, Chabad that; Chabad thinks of themselves, Chabad thinks of everyone, Chabad chabad chabad.
You’ve officially driven me, a Chabadnik, crazy! The Chabadniks here have to stop giving Chabad such a bad name all the time with their trying to lehashpia in places that don’t need their hashpaa, and everyone else should please just stopdl responding to them because it’s feeding the flames of hatred. I know it’s difficult but just stop…
Even on a page that talks about such a tragedy as this you guys manage to bring up the topic! Just stop it already!!!
And just for the record, I understand what Bitul was *probably* trying to say, that as a news report there’s no reason they shouldn’t be medayek and state that this was a Chabad Chossid, and even more so the son of the local Shliach. As a news report it should fill us in on these details.
What I suspect is that the YWN guys decided to leave that detail out because of all the contrevarsy surrounding Chabad being mentioned in the news every time it’s brought up (see my previous post), and here we go someone brings it up again…
And to Tango: you could do without the part of your comment that reads “do you have issues with Chabad?” Wanting to know what bothers him about Bituls comment is one thing, but this statement simply begs a biting comeback and a consequential raging back-and-forth regarding Chabad etc etc etc
YSiegal – thank you.
Just a point regarding your comment why YWN might have omitted the point….
Here in Chicago Orthodox Jews are Orthodox Jews. That’s how the media sees it and that’s how it was reported.
to Takes2-2tango I have no problem with someone being Chabad, to the contrary, I love every Jew. It’s that the way Bitul worded his comment “A 24 year old man of the orthodox Jewish faith” “It was a Chabad bochur to be specific”. I just felt that his comment could be taken the wrong way because we should just focus on the tragedy and not on unimportant details and if someone felt a need to go out of his way to focus on an unimportant detail and write a comment about it that it might not be coming from a good place, but I accept Ysiegel’s explanation for Bitul’s comment. I ask forgiveness from Bitul if I was Choshed B’chsherim him. He should have kol tuv v’tov.
To A Concerned Jew:
It is not a “gun epidemic.” It is a crime epidemic- stemming, in part, by the restrictive gun laws which only affect law-abiding citizens. The fact is that violent crime is generally higher in places with more “gun control.” The reason for this is simple: Criminals are looking for victims- not opponents. When a sizable percentage of a population is known to carry firearms, criminal lose their brazenness and either leave the area or stick to non-violent crimes.