Catalytic converter thief fires shots at priest near Chicago Catholic school, UIC

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A would-be thief fired shots at a priest Monday morning after he caught two men trying to steal a catalytic converter behind Saint Ignatius College Prep, and also close to the University of Illinois Chicago, on the Near West Side.

Police said two men were trying to steal a catalytic converter from a blue Toyota Prius parked outside the Jesuit rectory at Taylor and Morgan streets shortly before 6 a.m., when 74-year-old Fr. Jeremiah Lynch S.J, heard the noises.

Saint Ignatius College Prep Director of Communications Kristyn Hartman – a former CBS 2 reporter – said Fr. Lynch opened the door and peeped his head outside to see what was happening.

"He saw somebody under the car. He heard the noise, and he said, 'Hey, what are you doing?"  Hartman said, "and one of them – or both of them, I'm not certain of that – pulled a gun and started shooting; shot three times. 'Bam, bam, bam.'"

The shooter or shooters were aiming for Fr. Lynch, Hartman said. She said the priest suffered some kind of an injury when the shots were fired, but its nature is not clear.

"He said he had a little mark on his head. We're not sure if it's a bullet that grazed him, if a piece of wood cut him from the door – we don't know definitively," she said.

Two bullet holes were left in the door Fr. Lynch opened, Hartman said.

Saint Ignatius College Prep, a venerable Chicago high school that dates back to 1869, is located at 1076 W. Roosevelt Rd. The Jesuit residence is located on the block behind the school's campus, at 1025 W. Taylor St.

"You have UIC right over there, you know, I represent Saint Ignatius College Prep – which is a couple blocks over – no part of the city is immune anymore," Hartman said, "and you know, the question that I have is since when is a catalytic converter more important than a life?"

Fr. Lynch is one of 15 priests who live at the Jesuit residence, which is connected with the Midwest Province of Jesuits. Some are teachers or staff members at Saint Ignatius, and faculty and staff members at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Chicago Jesuit Academy, and Christ the King School are also among the residents. Fr. Lynch puts the teachings of Saint Ignatius Loyola to work elsewhere.

"Father Lynch is a rooted member of the community," Hartman said. "He works at the Cook County Jail as a chaplain and does wonderful work for our community."

Hartman said the fact of a young person valuing a catalytic converter over a life is a problem that Chicago must be addressed as a city – and a problem that is not limited to Chicago. She said Fr. Lynch reacted to the commotion he heard outside the Jesuit residence much as anyone else might – only to be targeted by gunfire.

"He was certainly shaken. Certainly," she said. "All he did was what a lot of us might do. He saw something happening and he said, 'Hey, what's going on?'"

Police in the Near West (12th) District advise those in the community to call 911, as opposed to trying to be the hero.

"We love our neighborhood," said Hartman. "We want it to be as safe as it can possibly be – for our students, for the UIC students, for people who come to enjoy Taylor Street."

It was unclear if the catalytic converter thieves got away with anything.

No one was in custody Monday afternoon, and a description of the assailants was not available. Belmont Area detectives were investigating.

Chicago Police do not keep statistics specifically on catalytic converter thefts.