Suspect in Chicago Avenue homicide arrested, held in custody

Ben Pope, Summer Editor

A man sought in connection with an Aug. 14 homicide in south Evanston has been arrested and is being held in custody at Cook County Jail, Evanston police Cmdr. Joseph Dugan said.

The man, a 26-year-old from Chicago whose name has not been released, has been charged with Unlawful Use of a Weapon by a Felon and two misdemeanors, Dugan said.

The man is suspected to have shot 25-year-old Hamza Hammouis in the head during the early morning hours of Aug. 14. Hammouis was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

The man will not face murder charges, however, partially because detectives discovered that the handgun used in the homicide — and in the man’s possession when he was arrested — originally belonged to Hammouis, Dugan said.

The incident occurred at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Howard Street, just one block west of the Howard CTA station, and the suspect fled north on Chicago immediately afterwards, Dugan said at the time. The suspect was described then as a black man of about six feet in height.

Detectives did not find conclusive evidence as to if the two men previously knew each other or why the confrontation began, Dugan said. They did determine Hammouis was first disarmed in some way, then shot with his own gun, during the fight.

Hammouis had moved from Paris to Chicago less than a month ago, lived within a block of where the shooting occurred and was accompanied by his wife and mother at the time of shooting, the Chicago Tribune previously reported.

Hammouis’ wife told the Tribune that Hammouis had recently fulfilled his longtime dream to live in Chicago and had been waiting for his green card to arrive so that he could find a job.

Note: This article was updated on Aug. 29 with information that the suspect will not face murder charges and that the gun originally belonged to Hammouis, according to Dugan.

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