Two men have been arrested after a shooting incident in Northwest Champaign led to a vehicle pursuit. Champaign Police were dispatched at 7:24 p.m. on May 17, 2023, to the 2000 block of Cynthia Drive for a report of a shooting. The report indicated that suspects opened fire on a car before fleeing in a nearby vehicle. No one was struck in the shooting, but witnesses were able to identify the suspect vehicle, which officers quickly located nearby. Upon seeing officers, the vehicle fled, and officers initiated a vehicular pursuit. The pursuit started in Champaign before entering Interstate 74, then exiting onto Cunningham Avenue and winding through areas of Urbana and Champaign County. It ended on South Neil Street near Windsor Road when the vehicle crashed, and the vehicle’s occupants fled on foot. Two of the vehicle’s occupants, identified as 26-year-old Oshae Cotton of Champaign and 26-year-old Jaylen Espino of Urbana, have been arrested pending charges on multiple felony offenses. A third occupant was released after being briefly detained.
Officers canvassed the vehicle’s flight path and located two firearms and ammunition that had been tossed from the vehicle during the pursuit. Champaign Police continue to canvass the area near the shooting incident and along the flight path for witnesses and video footage that may be of investigative assistance. Any resident or business in the nearby area with exterior surveillance camera systems is encouraged to notify the police department.
Although arrests have been made, the investigation is ongoing, and anyone with additional information is asked to 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.
Citizens are reminded 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.