A Cook County judge has sentenced 47-year-old Jimmy Smith, a man with more than a dozen prior felony convictions, to 20 years in prison for the fatal shooting of a grocery store clerk during a 2024 robbery. Smith pleaded guilty to murder before Judge Ursula Walowski, who ordered that the full sentence be served.
Prosecutors said Smith went to the Half Moon grocery store at 360 East 79th Street on January 9, 2024, shortly before closing. Around 10:15 p.m., clerk Shadi Almomani, 43, walked to his car behind the store when Smith confronted him.
A witness reported hearing someone demand Almomani’s wallet, followed by a single gunshot. Surveillance video reviewed by prosecutors shows Smith shooting Almomani in the head as the victim tried to pull away.
Investigators said Smith handed money to others at the scene before fleeing. No additional suspects have been charged.
Almomani had recently moved to the United States from Jordan, where friends said he previously worked as a police officer.
Smith’s criminal history spans decades, with dozens of cases dating back to 1995. Court records show he served multiple prison sentences for auto theft in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2013, and 2021. He was also convicted twice of escaping electronic monitoring and received a three-year sentence in 2017 for attempting to disarm a peace officer.