On May 14, 2021, at approximately 1:15 p.m., Champaign Police responded to the area of the 2400 block of W. Springfield Avenue for a reported shooting. The victim, a 33-year-old female, who was also approximately 8 months pregnant, sustained injury from being shot as well as potential injuries resulting from a traffic crash while being transported to the hospital. The victim was transported to a local hospital and is reported to be in stable condition.
The preliminary investigation suggests the victim was in a vehicle and was approached by the suspect. A domestic argument followed, and the suspect struck the victim in the head with a firearm, and then shot her in the upper body. The victim attempted to drive herself to the hospital with another family member, however on the way to the hospital, the vehicle was involved in a traffic crash near the area of Fourth Street and Springfield Ave. It is believed that neither the victim, nor the family member sustained serious injury resulting from the crash.
Godbolt
Information obtained during this investigation has led to the identification of a suspect in this incident. The Champaign County State’s Attorney’s has obtained an arrest warrant for Desmond Godbolt, a 23-year-old male from Champaign, for the offenses of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm and Aggravated Battery to a Pregnant Person. Bond on the warrant was set at $750,000.
Godbolt is described as a black male, 5’9” in height, approximately 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
The investigation is on-going, and anyone with information about this incident is asked to please contact police at 217-351-4545. Arrangements may be made for information to be shared privately. If you wish to remain anonymous you 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.