Police identify clerk killed in Bensenville robbery
Police have identified the clerk who was shot and killed during an armed robbery Sunday at a Bensenville tobacco store as Hussein Saghir of Chicago.
Police said they found the 36-year-old Saghir about 6 p.m. Sunday on the ground in front of Sam's Tobacco and Food Mart, 235 W. Irving Park Road.
A review of surveillance video from the store shows Saghir and another employee were leaving the store when they were confronted by two men, authorities said. There was a brief struggle and one of the suspects shot Saghir with a handgun.
Bensenville police released part of the video on Monday afternoon.
At one point in that part of the video, one of the suspects appears to fire the weapon, but police Chief Frank Kosman said it wasn't the shot that killed Saghir.
“That was a shot that didn't hit anybody,” he said. “That shot was pretty close, but no one was struck by that.”
He said the fatal shot was fired later. Authorities aren't saying how many total shots were fired.
Kosman said the reason police decided to release the video clip was to get out a picture of the suspects.
“Hopefully, somebody will recognize who that is and contacts us,” he said.
After the shooting, the two suspects fled east on foot. Saghir was taken to Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
One suspect was wearing an Abercrombie and Fitch maroon hoodie and True Religion blue jeans. The other was wearing a black hoodie with a white portion on the front, police said.
Police said they believe the suspects are both black men with light complexions who are in their late teens or early 20s.
Bensenville Village President Frank Soto said Saghir was the store owner's brother.
“It's a horrible tragedy,” he said. “It's just incredibly unfortunate that violence is becoming more of a norm in robbery cases.”
Soto said there hasn't been a homicide in Bensenville for more than 12 years. He urged residents to view the surveillance video and asked business owners to be alert and report any suspicious activity to police immediately.
“Putting these people behind bars and getting them off the streets is incredibly important right now,” he said.
Police said the investigation in conjunction with the DuPage County Major Crimes Task Force is continuing. Police are asking anyone with information to call (630) 350-3455.