On June 14, 2020, at approximately 12:29 a.m., Champaign Police responded to an apartment building in the 300 block of East Daniel Street for a reported shooting. Upon arrival, officers located a 24-year-old male who had sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his lower body. Officers provided medical attention to the victim at the scene and he was ultimately transported by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment. At approximately 12:48 a.m., police were notified that a 21-year-old male had arrived at a local hospital by private vehicle with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his lower body.
Additionally, as police arrived on scene, an individual fled from officers but was apprehended after a short foot chase. Officers identified this individual as 19-year-old Elyjah Brown. A search of the flight path resulted in officers locating a bag that contained suspected cannabis and a large amount of United States currency. Also located along Brown’s flight path was a stolen handgun. Brown was transported to the Champaign County jail where he awaits future court proceedings. His involvement in the shooting incident remains under investigation.
The preliminary investigation indicates both victims were shot at an apartment building on East Daniel Street. The investigation suggests numerous shots were fired from outside the apartment building toward a fourth-floor balcony where people had gathered for a party. Evidence was recovered at the scene including numerous casings of different caliber ammunition. No additional injuries were reported to police, however several apartments in the building where this occurred were struck by gunfire resulting in property damage.
Several hours later at approximately 3:46 a.m., police were notified of another shooting when a 26-year-old male arrived by private vehicle at a local hospital with two non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. The victim reported to police that he was struck by gunfire while sitting in a vehicle in the 1200 block of North Willis in Champaign. Police later located evidence of a shooting in this area. At this time, it is unknown if the two incidents are related.
Champaign Police are processing information and evidence and are actively working to identify the circumstances leading up both incidents. The investigations are ongoing, and no arrests have been made at this time. Future updates may be provided as they become available.
Any person or business with exterior video surveillance systems in the area of either incident is encouraged to contact the police department. It is believed video footage could be of investigative assistance.
Anyone who has information about either of these incidents is asked to please contact police at 217-351-4545. Arrangements can be made for information to be shared privately. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may also submit tips to Crime Stoppers by phone at: 217-373-8477 (TIPS); online at 373tips.com; or the “P3 Tips” mobile app.
Champaign Police reminds citizens that information submitted to Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous. Calls are routed to a third-party national call center that receives your information, completes a tips information form, and then passes the information to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Caller ID tracking is not utilized by Crime Stoppers and conversations are not recorded.
Crime Stoppers will pay a reward of $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for this crime.