53-Year-Old Charged With Murder In Shooting Of West Ridge Store Owner

CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of West Ridge liquor store owner Salim Khamo.

Sean Dunnavant, 53, was arrested late Thursday and charged with two counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted armed robbery in connection with the store owner's slaying.

Dunnavant lives about a block away from the business 66-year-old Khamo had owned since 2006, J&K Food & Liquor at 6320 N. Western Ave., according to police.

"This was a senseless act of violence that should not have escalated to the loss of Mr. Khamo's life," Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said Friday.

"He was at work at a small business making a living for himself and his family," Brown said. "People who knew Mr. Khamo described him as a hardworking man, most of all, a loving family man."

Police said Dunnavant, a convicted felon, was identified as the shooter after he dropped his cellphone while fleeing the scene of the shooting around 10 p.m. Oct. 17.

Plus, a tipster recognized him from surveillance video distributed by police, according to Brendan Denihan, chief of Chicago police detectives.

Prosecutors said the person has known Dunnavant for about three years and recognized him, his bicycle and his cellphone number.

"Leaving the cellphone on scene, obviously, helps a lot," Denihan said.

---

"We put out video, you guys push that out," he told reporters Friday. "Once again, we had someone from the community call and say, 'I know who this is,' and they identify him for us. We need all of these things in order to move forward and [make] the arrest."

The surveillance video shows the gunman arrive at Khamo's store on a bicycle, put on sunglasses after entering and place a handgun on the counter.

Brown said that after Dunnavant announced a robbery, a "verbal altercation ensued" and he shot Khamo in the chest.

Investigators found images of Dunnavant's social security card, driver's license and the bicycle matching the one shown in the surveillance video on the cellphone left behind outside the store, according to prosecutors.

---

Paramedics rushed Khamo to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, where he was pronounced dead shortly before midnight.

Khamo, an Iraqi refugee and Des Plaines resident, had recently sold the business to a family member and had been about to retire the night he was shot dead, prosecutors said.

Concerned about rising crime, he had recently purchased a firearm. He managed to return fire, but the bullet missed his killer, police said.

Prosecutors said Khamo stepped back and attempted to pull his gun from his waistband just before he was shot.

Dunnavant has previous convictions for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and three counts of aggravated robbery. In 2008, he was sentenced to seven years in Illinois state prison for robberies in DuPage County.

At an initial court appearance Friday afternoon, Dunnavant was ordered held without bond.

"We know that this is extremely difficult and traumatic for the family of Mr. Khamo and the community," Brown said. "And we're just hoping that this offender being brought to justice and being charged brings some measure of peace."

Earlier: Video, Images Of Suspect In Slaying Of West Ridge Store Owner Released