A Champaign man has been arrested following an investigation into an October 2022 shooting on Dogwood Drive. On Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at 10:15 p.m., Champaign Police were dispatched to the 2300 block of Sangamon Drive for a report of a shooting with injuries. Upon arrival, officers located a 12-year-old male victim in a vehicle with life-threatening gunshot wounds to the neck. Officers on-scene immediately rendered medical aid with the assistance of the Champaign Fire Department until he could be transported to an area hospital. The child continues to recuperate from his injuries.
An investigation indicated that while the victim was located by officers in a vehicle in the 2300 block of Sangamon Drive, the shooting incident occurred in the 600 block of Dogwood Drive. The minor child had been riding in a vehicle with an older family member when the driver determined they were being followed by another vehicle. After some time, the driver was able to get behind the suspicious vehicle in traffic while attempting to identify the vehicle or its driver.
Minutes later, the suspect vehicle, driven by Jamonte Hill, 28, of Champaign, stopped before he produced a firearm and opened fire, striking the victim vehicle multiple times and wounding one of the passengers inside. In addition to multiple bullet holes in the vehicle, damage was also reported to a nearby home. On January 31, 2023, members of the United States Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Task Force arrested Hill on a warrant for his involvement in this incident. He remains in the custody of the Champaign County Correctional Center awaiting arraignment on attempted murder charges.
The Champaign Police Department would like to thank the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office and the United States Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Task Force for their assistance during this investigation.
Although an arrest has been made, the investigation is ongoing, and anyone with additional information 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.