On the evening of October 1, 2018, 24-year-old Eliyahu Moscowitz, a male of Jewish ethnicity, was fatally shot while walking along the bike path near the 1100 block of West Lunt Avenue in Chicago's Loyola Park. The incident occurred around 10:20 p.m., when a passerby discovered Moscowitz with a single gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Moscowitz's murder took place approximately 36 hours after the killing of 73-year-old Douglass Watts, who was also shot in the head while walking his dog on the morning of September 30, 2018, in the 1400 block of West Sherwin Avenue, just blocks away from where Moscowitz was killed. Ballistics tests confirmed that the same firearm was used in both homicides, leading investigators to believe that a single perpetrator was responsible for both attacks.
Surveillance footage captured a masked individual dressed in black near the scene of Watts' murder. The suspect exhibited a distinctive gait, described by police as a "duck walk" or limp, with both feet turned outward. Despite the release of this footage to the public, the suspect, often referred to as the "Duck Walk Killer," remains unidentified and at large.
In the aftermath of these incidents, the local community, particularly in the Rogers Park neighborhood, was left in shock and mourning. Moscowitz, who worked as a kosher supervisor at a supermarket, was remembered for his kindness and dedication to his faith. His death on Simchat Torah, a significant Jewish holiday, added to the community's grief.
As of the latest available information, no arrests have been made in connection with the murders of Eliyahu Moscowitz and Douglass Watts. The Chicago Police Department continues to seek information from the public to identify and apprehend the individual responsible for these crimes.
