'A very good guy'
Friends and acquaintances said the man was known in the Cedar-Riverside area as someone who began having mental problems several months ago. They said he often was seen walking in the neighborhood.
"This guy was a very good guy," said Mohamed Ahmed, a friend and neighbor who saw the man about an hour before the shooting. "He just became sick. You can't be shot because you are sick. That is not the American way."
Rahma Ali, who knew the man, said she followed him the entire way from Cedar-Riverside on Sunday. She said she first saw him when they were in an elevator in the apartment building where he lived.
"He wasn't looking for anyone to cut," she said. Nevertheless, she tried to get him to drop the machete because she said it looked "so tall and so dangerous."
She said that during the walk to the Chicago-Franklin intersection, the man did not seem to acknowledge those around him.
"He just kept saying, 'Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar,' over and over again," she said. She and others at the scene translated that to mean "God is great."
Ali said that when police surrounded the man, he raised the machete and repeated the phrase once more before police shot him.
Olson said he doesn't blame people for being upset. "We have a lot of citizens who are very concerned, as right they should be," he said. "I would hope they hold back and wait until they find out what the truth is."
Jeilani, the victim's brother, said he plans to consult with a lawyer and may press charges.
-- Heron Marquez Estrada is at
[email protected] . Kavita Kumar is at
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