CHICAGO – A concealed carrier who worked as a TSA agent at O’Hare has been charged with murder and accused of shooting an unarmed stranger during a dispute near Chinatown this summer.
In a written submission to the court, prosecutors say the victim, 28-year-old Jason Fox, crossed paths with a woman at an after-hours nightclub and grabbed her hands, sparking a “scuffle” early on Aug. 25. staff kicked Fox out.
Meanwhile, the woman called her boyfriend of at least 15 years, Humza Raja, to pick her up from the club, prosecutors said. Video shows Raja, 22, arriving at the club shortly after 7am
According to the provider, the woman told Raja about the hand-grabbing incident, and Raja saw Fox walking nearby on the 400 block of West Cermak. After confirming with the woman that Fox was the man who grabbed her, Raja pulled over to Fox and, without leaving his car, got into an argument with Fox.
A witness reported hearing a heated conversation between Fox and Raja, in which Raja asked Fox if he planned to bring his wife. Fox responded, “Yes,” after confirming that he was also the man who grabbed the woman’s hands, prosecutors said.
The witness told police they saw the driver of the Porsche holding a gun to the side from inside the car and firing three or four shots at Fox. They then saw Fox running down the street, taking off his shirt and pants before collapsing. Prosecutors said he was shot twice in the chest and once in the thigh.
According to the offering, neither the witness nor the woman who picked Raja up from the club saw Fox with any weapons or make any physical movements toward Raja.
Later that day, Raja called one of his supervisors at O’Hare to announce they would never see each other again because he shot someone who “rolled toward him,” the provider said. Raja could not report for his next shift.
Prosecutors said Raja admitted to shooting or killing a man during phone calls with another TSA supervisor and a third TSA employee.
Raja turned himself in to police on September 4, but he was released without charge the next day. Police arrested him on Thursday in connection with the case.
Detectives seized Raja’s phone during his arrest. A search of the device revealed that Raja began using Google to find a criminal defense attorney immediately after the murder, the provider said.
Judge David Kelly called the shooting “completely unjustified” based on the prosecutor’s offer and held Raja pending trial on charges of first-degree murder.
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