On November 12, 2020, at approximately 5:17 p.m., Champaign Police responded to the area of the 600 block of East Eureka Street for a reported shooting. Upon arrival, officers located a 16-year-old male inside of a private residence with a life-threatening gunshot wound. The victim, identified as Gerryontae Brown, did not survive his injuries.
As the investigation progressed, Champaign Police developed information to identify the suspect in the homicide as Calvin Williams, 18, of Champaign. On Nov. 14, 2020, the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office obtained an arrest warrant for the offense of First-Degree Murder for Williams. Bond on the warrant was set at $1 million.
Williams is currently in police custody in Berrien County, Michigan where he was arrested on an unrelated stolen vehicle charge after he fled the area following the homicide. He will be extradited back to Champaign where he will await future court proceedings.
The Champaign Police Department would like to thank the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office for their assistance during this investigation.
Although an arrest has been made, this is still an active investigation. Champaign Police ask that anyone who has additional information on this incident 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.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.