On August 8, 2020, at approximately 12:30 a.m., as officers were on patrol in downtown Champaign, multiple rounds of gunfire were heard from the area of a parking lot in the 300 block of North Neil Street. As officers arrived on scene, a large crowd estimated to be over 100 people were seen fleeing the area.
Officers observed one vehicle leaving south on Neil Street at a high rate of speed. This vehicle subsequently crashed at the intersection of Neil Street and University Avenue, at which time three individuals exited the vehicle and two fled on foot. Two of the occupants, 20-year-old Jawon Brown and 25-year-old Allen Baines, were apprehended by officers after a short foot pursuit on preliminary traffic, resisting and weapons charges. Officers recovered a handgun and a loaded magazine inside the crashed vehicle, which was also heavily damaged by gunfire. Brown and Baines were transported to the Champaign County Jail where they await future court proceedings.
Officers contacted a third occupant of the vehicle, a 25-year-old male, and discovered that he had sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his foot as a result of the shooting, and he was transported to a local hospital for treatment. No other injuries or damage were reported to police.
The preliminary investigation suggests there was a verbal argument among individuals in the large crowd that precipitated the shooting incident in the parking lot. Officers processed the scene and located 28 shell casings from different calibers of ammunition, indicating multiple weapons were fired during the incident.
Any resident or business in the nearby area with exterior surveillance camera systems is encouraged to contact the police department. It is believed video footage may be of investigative assistance. The investigation is ongoing, and future updates may be provided as they become available.
Anyone who has information about this incident 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.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.