18-year-old man charged with fatally shooting popular limo driver in Austin

An 18-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a popular limo driver who was shot last year while working in Austin.

Zayin Kelly was also charged with armed robbery in the Dec. 3 shooting of Mohammed Al Hejoj, who was driving in the 1700 block of North Lotus Avenue when a witness saw his Cadillac Escalade stop, heard gunshots and then saw four passengers run from the limo.

Al Hejoj, 39, was shot multiple times and taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he died, officials said. Chicago police said responding officers recovered a handgun near the limo.

Kelly was arrested Monday afternoon at a Chick-Fil-A restuarant where he worked at 500 N. Michigan Avenue after he was identified as the shooter, according to his arrest report.

Additional details weren’t released. An officer testified at an initial hearing on the charges Thursday that Kelly was hospitalized and could not be brought to court.

Judge Barbara Dawkins ordered Kelly detained until he could appear and set his next court date for Tuesday. Prosecutors said they intended to file a motion to detain Kelly pending trial.

Al Hejoj, from the Dunning neighborhood, had worked as a limo driver in Chicago for more than a decade after immigrating from Jordan to support his family.

A GoFundMe page set up to help pay for funeral expenses, including sending his body back to Jordan, had raised nearly $89,000 as of Thursday. The funds raised will also be used to support his family, the page stated.