A Chicago firefighter is facing attempted murder charges in a road rage shooting that left a man in critical condition Sunday night in Andersonville.
Charges were filed Tuesday evening. Fire officials confirmed the firefighter has been sidelined during the investigation, and he remains in police custody.
Around 8 p.m. Sunday, Omotayo Kassim, 34, was driving a Chevrolet Tahoe in the 5200 block of North Clark Street when a man driving a Jeep struck his SUV, made a three-point turn and fled the scene, according to a police report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Kassim “chased” the Jeep for several blocks and rammed into the black 2008 Jeep, causing the 35-year-old Jeep driver to lose control and crash into parked cars in the 1600 block of West Foster Avenue, according to the report.
Police say Kassim jumped out of the 2018 Tahoe brandishing a gun.
At a nearby church, Philip Fahey, 63, and a friend were preparing for an event and saw what happened next.
“Don’t move or I’ll shoot,” the firefighter yelled, according to Fahey.
“We heard a pop,” Fahey told the Sun-Times. “The guy in the Tahoe realizes he left his truck in gear, and it was rolling down the street.”
After firing once, hitting the Jeep driver in the left jaw area, the gun jammed, the police report said.
“I thought [the pop] was part of the car accident,” Fahey said. “When he said he got shot and there was a shooting, I realized it was actually a gunshot.”
A cab driver in the area called 911, and Kassim began arguing with the Jeep’s passenger, a 34-year-old West Ridge man who stepped out with his hands up, according to the police report.
They argued until paramedics arrived, according to Fahey. The passenger declined to comment when reached by the Sun-Times.
The Jeep driver was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition, and a relative said he was on life support.
Kassim was charged with one count each of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle, police said.
“It just seems kind of unreasonable that this guy got shot for a traffic altercation,” Fahey said.
The firefighter was arrested at the scene a short time later.
Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said Kassim, who has been with the department since 2019, has been removed from duty pending the results of the investigation. His gun, which he had holstered in his waistband, was taken by police.
Kassim is expected to appear in court Wednesday.
In August of 2015, a warrant was issued for Kassim’s arrest after he fled Colorado on charges of trespassing a vehicle with intent to commit a crime. The case was dropped a month later, court documents showed.
The victim’s father told the Sun-Times that his son was still sedated and intubated Tuesday afternoon.
“All of our family, we’re just praying,” said the victim’s father, who didn’t want to be named for fear of retaliation. “We’re stunned by this, especially, I mean, the way it happened.”
The man’s father saw his son Sunday morning, hours before he was shot.
“He said, ‘I love you guys’ like he always does and just left,” he said.
Choking back tears, he described his son as someone who is “a very loving person and is always happy.
“He makes you smile no matter what.”
