Torah Dedicated In Memory Of Eliyahu Moscowitz, One Of Two Men Shot, Killed In Rogers Park Over Two Days Last Year
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A fitting memorial was held on Sunday for a member of Chicago's Jewish community who was murdered last fall.
Eliyahu Moscowitz, 24, was shot and killed last October in Rogers Park.
On Sunday, Congregation B'nei Ruven at Devon Avenue and Whipple Street finished and dedicated a Torah in Moscowitz's honor.
A Torah is a double scroll containing the five books of Moses. It is read during certain services, including Sabbath and holidays.
Moscowitz's brother said the ceremony on Sunday turned a terrible tragedy into a celebration of life.
"It's a very tragic, tragic time, but the comfort to the family is seeing the community get together and the unity; how so many people came together to celebrate with the completion of the Torah," said Nissen Moscowitz.
Police believe Moscowitz was one of two men killed by the same person in about 36 hours.
First, Douglas Watts 73, was shot and killed on the morning Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, while walking his two dogs in the 1400 block of West Sherwin.
On the night of Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, Moscowitz was walking down the bike path on the 1100 block of West Lunt Avenue when someone shot him. Moscowitz worked at an Evanston Jewel grocery store.
Both victims had been shot in the head, and Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said in the days after the shooting that ballistics tests confirmed shell casings from both shootings came from the same gun.
The same .40-caliber gun was subsequently linked to two more shootings in other parts of the city. It showed up 15 days after the Rogers Park shootings in the 4300 block of West Fifth Avenue, where it was used to shoot two men who were stopped at a red light when a dark-colored SUV pulled up alongside them and someone inside opened fire.
Five months after that and about three miles away, the gun made its most recent appearance in the 2300 block of West Jackson Boulevard. The security guards at a residential building reported that a white vehicle drove up the driveway, then backed out and someone started firing shots. Fortunately, no one was hit.
Upon announcing that information in July, police could not say for certain if the gun ever changed hands. But a study released earlier this year by the University of Chicago Crime Lab shows gun swaps are common.
Meanwhile, surveillance video was released showing a person of interest in the Rogers Park shootings. They show a slim man with a hat and scarf covering most of his face, who ran with a distinctive gait.
But the gunman has not been found and remains on the loose.