Chicago police say a seven-time convicted felon shot and killed a North Side convenience store worker during a robbery attempt, then left his phone and his unique bicycle at the crime scene.
Sean Dunnavant, 53, was ordered held without bail by Judge Barbara Dawkins during a bond hearing Friday morning.
Prosecutors said surveillance video showed Dunnavant riding his bike to J&K Food and Liquors, 6320 North Western, around 9:53 p.m. on October 17.
He went inside and held a handgun on the counter with the barrel pointed at Salim Khamo, the 66-year-old cashier who had recently sold the store to a relative and was getting ready to retire.
Dunnavant allegedly fired one shot as Khamo, a licensed concealed carry holder, stepped back and tried to pull his own firearm from his waistband. Khamo was struck in the chest and died.
“I didn’t do that! I didn’t do that!” Dunnavant exclaimed as prosecutor Christopher Nugarus laid out the state’s timeline.
Nugarus said Dunnavant, who lived about a block from the store, dropped his phone at the scene and ran away, leaving behind a bike with unique rust marks and a headlight with a visible serial number.
“I lost my cellphone,” Dunnavant interjected during the court hearing before his defense attorney again warned him to remain silent.
Investigators searched the phone and found selfies of Dunnavant, a picture of his Social Security card and Texas truck driving license, a picture of the unique bike that was left outside the liquor store, and a photo of a gun similar to the one used in the robbery, Nugarus said.
When police arrested Dunnavant on Wednesday, they asked for his phone number. He gave them the number of the phone that they found at the murder scene, Nugarus alleged.
Dunnavant was convicted of unauthorized use of a vehicle in Texas in 2018. He was convicted of three robberies in Kane and DuPage counties in 2008. His other felony convictions include possession of stolen motor vehicles in 2008 and 2006 and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in 2006, according to Nuguarus.
An assistant public defender said Dunnavant has two grown children, served in the Navy during the first Gulf War, and has worked eleven years as a truck driver.
He is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree murder during the commission of a forcible felony, and attempted armed robbery.
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