Champaign Police were dispatched at 1:07 p.m. on January 7, 2024, to the 900 block of S. Mattis Avenue for a report of shots fired with potential injury. As officers arrived on-scene and began to investigate, a 27-year-old man from Gary, Indiana, arrived at a local hospital by personal transport suffering from multiple potentially life-threatening gunshot wounds. Champaign Police immediately sent officers to interview the victim while others on-scene located and processed evidence of gunfire. The victim remains hospitalized in critical condition. No additional injuries have been reported in this incident.
The initial investigation indicates that the victim was standing outside near an apartment building when an unknown subject approached him. Following a brief interaction, the subject produced a firearm and fired it multiple times, striking the victim. The subject then fled the area on foot and has not been located at this time. The gunfire was also found to have struck a building in the area.
Officers continue to canvass the surrounding area 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. No arrests have been made at this time, and the investigation is ongoing. Future updates may be provided as they become available.
Champaign Police ask that anyone who has additional information please call 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.
Crime Stoppers will pay cash rewards of $5,000 for tips that lead to an arrest in any homicide case, $2,500 for tips leading to an arrest in a felony crime involving a firearm, and up to $1,000 for tips leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for any other crime.