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.”
Comminty Alert: @Chicago_Police are looking to identify this subject in relation to a Homicide that occurred on September 30, 2018. The victim was walking his dog on the 1400 block of West Sherwin when the offender approached and fatally shot the victim. pic.twitter.com/24DRmHdvT3
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: CPDTip.com pic.twitter.com/8olRpa2VSd
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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