A 19-year-old Jewish student was shot and killed in front of his college dormitory at a yeshiva in Denver, CO on the evening of August 17.
The student, identified as Shmuel Silverberg, was originally from a Cleveland suburb known as University Heights and attending Yeshiva Toras Chaim, a Talmudic seminary school for males, and will be buried in Lakewood, NJ, where his family is currently located. The shooting took place at around 11:30 pm that night; earlier that night, the suspects had committed two carjackings, resulting in one person who was not Jewish being shot and critically wounded, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The Denver police are searching for three cars connected to the carjackings and shootings: a 2018 maroon Honda CRV, 2020 dark blue Toyota Camry and a black 1998 Toyota Rav 4 and are offering a $2,000 reward. The police consider the suspects to be armed and dangerous.
#Denver, do you have any information that can help us identify or locate the suspects involved in these incidents? If so, please contact @CrimeStoppersCO by calling 720-913-STOP. You can earn a reward up to $2,000. pic.twitter.com/oBaq2HsJcl
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) August 18, 2021
A spokesperson for the Denver police told Jewish Telegraphic Agency, “At this time, it does not appear that it was a bias-motivated incident, but we are still in the early stages of the investigation.”
StandWithUs CEO and Co-Founder Roz Rothstein tweeted, “Part of a “crime spree” (as police say)? Or a specific Jewish target? Time will tell. Horrific, Heartbreaking. Condolences to his family & friends. May his memory be a blessing.”
Murder in Denver: 19 yr old Yeshiva student murdered in front of his school. Part of a "crime spree" (as police say)? Or a specific Jewish target? Time will tell. Horrific, Heartbreaking. Condolences to his family & friends. May his memory be a blessing. https://t.co/Mw4i2MWkUj
— Roz Rothstein (@RozRothstein) August 18, 2021
