A Jesuit priest was shot Monday morning outside his Little Italy home, sustaining a wound in a confrontation with two would-be catalytic converter thieves.
The Rev. Jeremiah Lynch, 73, was home about 6 a.m. in the 1000 block of West Taylor Street when he heard noises from a nearby parking lot. When he opened the door to check what was happening, he saw two men trying to steal a catalytic converter from a parked car.
Lynch asked what they were doing, so one of them pulled out a gun and shot him three times before fleeing, Chicago police and a St. Ignatius College Preparatory spokesman said.
Lynch, a chaplain at the Cook County Jail, suffered a cut on his forehead but said he was fine.
“I'm praying for the person who shot me,” Lynch told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Two of the shots hit the building where Lynch and 14 other priests lived. The building is owned by Saint Ignatius. Residents work elsewhere.
In a message sent to students and parents, St. Ignatius officials reminded students to remain vigilant and said if they encounter something similar, to call 911 and not approach anyone involved.
No arrests have been made.
