Chicago police have arrested an 18-year-old suspected of killing an Uber and livery driver in December 2023, according to authorities and friends of the driver.
Police said Zayin Kelly, of the Austin neighborhood, who was arrested Monday, faces two counts of murder and one count of armed robbery. Kelly is one of multiple suspects related to Mohammed al-Hijoj’s Dec. 3 death in the Austin neighborhood.
The death of al-Hijoj, a veteran driver and prominent figure in Chicago’s livery driver network, rattled his friends and colleagues and raised questions about driver safety on the job.
Al-Hijoj, 39, was found inside a black Cadillac Escalade in the 1700 block of North Lotus Avenue with multiple gunshot wounds, according to an initial police report. Witnesses heard gunfire and saw four men fleeing the vehicle shortly afterward, police said.
Al-Hijoj was driving for Uber at the time of his death, company representatives confirmed. The rideshare company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mohammad Othman, a close friend of al-Hijoj who also drives livery and ride-share vehicles, said he mainly felt angry when he heard the news of the arrest. Al-Hijoj’s wife and three children survived him.
“He took someone’s father away, he took someone’s husband away,” Othman said. “My friend is just going to be another statistic.”
Kelly is set to appear in court Thursday for a detention hearing, police said.
