Omar Dixon / Photo from Chicago Police
BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor
Omar Dixon was ordered held on $1.5 million bond Friday after prosecutors claimed he fatally shot Terrence Harris during a January drug deal in in the Ashburn neighborhood.
Harris, 24, went to the 8100 block of South Artesian Avenue Jan. 14 to sell cannabis to Dixon and his acquaintance, prosecutors said.
Harris went to the agreed upon location, entered a gangway and handed over a package of cannabis, prosecutors said.
Before paying for the drugs, Dixon pulled out a gun and said, “This is mine.” When Harris reached for the gun, Dixon shot him in the chest area, prosecutors said.
After the shooting, Dixon’s acquaintance ran to the front of the house and told a friend what happened, prosecutors said.
Terrence Harris, of the 9200 block of South Elizabeth Avenue, was declared dead minutes later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Dixon ran away after the shooting, but the person who drove Harris to the drug deal gave chase, prosecutors said.
The driver gave up the pursuit and called 911. After talking to detectives, the driver went home but soon saw Dixon “creeping out from between the houses,” prosecutors said.
The driver exited the vehicle, and Dixon yelled, “It wasn’t me,” then ran away, prosecutors said.
Dixon’s acquaintance voluntarily went to the police station and told detectives about the robbery and the shooting, prosecutors said. The driver confirmed Dixon’s acquaintance did not match the description of the man he chased after the shooting.
Phone records indicate Dixon and his acquaintance texted numerous times about the drug deal and that Dixon later called the acquaintance after the murder, prosecutors said.
A warrant was issued for Dixon’s arrest, and he was taken into custody Jan. 24 in a hotel in Madison, Wis., prosecutors said.
Dixon, 23, of the 3500 block of West 83rd Place, was charged with murder and armed robbery charges, police said. He was sentenced to four years in prison for residential burglary in 2008, according to court records.
On Friday, Judge Donald Panarese ordered Dixon held on $1.5 million bond.
— Contributing: Rummana Hussain