A man with a lengthy criminal history was sentenced to life imprisonment for the fatal shooting of a convenience store clerk during a botched robbery in West Rogers Park three years prior.
Cook County Judge Stanley Sacks issued the life sentence on Friday to 56-year-old Sean Dunnavant, who was found guilty in May on three counts of murder and one count of attempted armed robbery for the tragic death of 66-year-old Salim Khamo in October 2022.
According to prosecutors, surveillance footage captured Dunnavant arriving at J&K Food and Liquors at 6320 North Western Avenue shortly before 10 p.m. on October 17, 2022. He allegedly placed a firearm on the counter, threatening Khamo, who was preparing to retire after selling the store to a family member.
When Khamo, a licensed concealed carry permit holder, retreated to draw his own weapon, Dunnavant shot him once in the chest, leading to Khamo’s death at the scene, prosecutors said.
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<p>During the initial hearing in 2022, Assistant State's Attorney Christopher Nugarus detailed how police identified Dunnavant after he dropped his cellphone while escaping the scene. This phone was found next to a bicycle with unique rust patterns and a headlight that had a clear serial number and contained personal pictures of Dunnavant, documents including his Social Security card, and images of a firearm similar to the one used in the crime.</p>
<p>As Nugarus presented the case against him, Dunnavant exclaimed, “I didn’t do that! I didn’t do that!” and then admitted, “I lost my cellphone,” before his attorney advised him to be quiet.</p>
When detained, Dunnavant provided police with the phone number matching the one linked to the evidence at the murder site, prosecutors reported.
Authorities stated that Dunnavant resided just a block away from the convenience store. While investigating, Chicago police released footage of the suspect shortly after the incident and sought assistance from the public to identify him.
Records indicate that Dunnavant’s criminal past spans nearly twenty years, with convictions for unauthorized vehicle use in Texas in 2018 and multiple robberies in Kane and DuPage counties in 2008. He has additional felony convictions for possessing stolen motor vehicles in 2006 and 2008, as well as aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in 2006.
Dunnavant, who has two adult children, served in the Navy during the first Gulf War and had a career as a truck driver for over a decade before the incident occurred, as claimed by one of his defense attorneys.
Tim Hecke is CWBChicago’s managing partner. He began his career at KMOX, the iconic news radio station in St. Louis before moving on to work for various stations in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City. Tim has developed syndicated news and content services for all major US radio markets and joined CWBChicago as managing partner in 2019.
His email address is tim@cwbchicago.com