Shmuel Silverberg, 18, was shot multiple times while walking outside Yeshiva Toras Chaim; police not ruling out hate crime.
By Pesach Benson, United With Israel
A yeshiva student was shot dead in front of Yeshiva Toras Chaim in Denver late Tuesday night.
Police are looking for four armed suspects who were likely also responsible for a nearby crime spree. The suspects stole a car, shot and robbed a pedestrian and attempted a carjacking. The pedestrian, whose name was not released, is in critical condition.
Shmuel Silverberg, an 18 year-old student from Cleveland was walking outside the Toras Chaim he was shot. He was taken to a hospital with multiple gunshot injuries and pronounced dead. According to Yeshiva World News, Silverberg’s funeral will take place Thursday evening in Lakewood, NJ.
Police said the murder was probably not a hate crime, but haven’t ruled out the possibility.
“It appears that the victim was walking outside the school when the suspects approached and began firing,” said Denver Police commander Matt Clark. “We don’t know if there was any interaction between the two at this point.”
Yeshiva Toras Chaim, founded in 1967, has students in grades 9-12, a bais medrash undergraduate program, and a kollel study program for married men.
“Our Yeshiva Toras Chaim community is grief stricken at the killing of one of our students overnight,” the yeshiva said in a statement. “We are caring for our faculty, staff, students, and their families in the face of this tragic and incomprehensible act of violence.
“We are grateful for the support we are receiving from our Denver community and from around the country, and for the work of local law enforcement authorities who have made this their top priority. Our community is seeking solace and privacy at this time.”