$10K Reward Offered For Information On Rogers Park Shootings

CHICAGO — Two Rogers Park shootings have left many residents shaken and terrified to leave their homes. A masked gunman killed two men just blocks from each other at random within a span of 36 hours. Police believe the suspect lives in the neighborhood.

Police held two community meetings this week to provide information about the investigation and address residents' concerns. During Thursday's meeting, the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago announced a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the suspect's arrest.

“These murderous attacks are reverberating throughout the Jewish, LGBTQ and the broader communities,” JUF/Federation President Steven Nasatir said in a statement. “...we are determined to do whatever we can to aid the community as well as law enforcement’s efforts to apprehend whoever is responsible.”

Douglass Watts, 73, was walking his dogs in the 1400 block of West Sherwin on Sunday, when he was shot in the head just after 10 a.m.

Eliyahu Moscowitz, 24, was shot in the head in the 1100 block of West Lunt Avenue south of Loyola Park around 10:20 p.m. Monday, police said.

Because Watts was gay and Moscowitz was an observant Jew, many residents have expressed concern that the killings were hate crimes, but police have not found a motive behind the attacks.

The Chicago Police Department released two surveillance videos that show the masked suspect walking down a sidewalk and jogging down an alley. Police said the suspect has a unique walk — he takes steps with his feet pointed out.

In a Tuesday press conference, CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the same gun was used to kill both victims.

Moscowitz's friends held a vigil Tuesday evening on the bike path where he was killed.

Watts lived with his husband near the 1400 block of West Sherwin where he was shot.

With no knowledge about the suspect or his motives, many residents at the community meetings asked media outlets not to use their names in quotes.

One Rogers Park resident, who also asked to remain unnamed, said many of her family members live in the neighborhood and she's lived in "sheer terror" since the shootings.

"Nobody wants to walk alone, everybody's looking over their shoulder, everybody's scared," she said. "The park is usually bustling with people, and it's been very sparse. There's a jogger or two — the bold ones, but people are not out like we all would be. It's really scary, and sad too."

At this time of year, residents are normally out enjoying the fall weather before the temperatures plummet.

"Parents are frightened," she said. "The park is normally filled with moms walking strollers and it's pretty empty"

She said Rogers Park is a close-knit community and "everybody has each other's backs."

Police and aldermen have warned residents to stay in groups and pair up with neighbors if they go outside, so many have used Facebook pages to offer their neighbors rides and seek other dog walkers so they aren't outside alone.

Both covert and uniformed officers have been deployed to Rogers Park to patrol the community while the investigation is underway. Many residents have approached the police vehicles to thank cops for helping them feel safer.

Police said the public has provided the department with more than 100 tips about the case. Dozens of detectives are investigating the shootings, police said.

Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to call Area North detectives at (312) 744-8200.

Top image/video via YouTube/CPD