Four separate shooting incidences left six young men injured in Champaign over the weekend, and police are looking for answers.
Now community members are planning to address the recent gun violence in a news conference Monday morning. Among the four who are scheduled to be at the news conference is city council member Will Kyles.
Police first responded to a shooting at 1:15 p.m. on Friday in the 1100 block of Mimosa Drive. When the police arrived, they found a car that had been damaged by gunfire, but no one was injured. Police originally arrested two suspects, but they were released after more information was gathered. Another suspect, Jamonte Hill, a 19-year-old Champaign resident, was arrested on a charge of aggravated discharge of a firearm for the shooting.
The second shooting occurred Friday evening around 7:30 in the 400 block of East Washington Street. Three males between the age of 18 and 20 were shot in a drive-by shooting. The victims were walking down the street when a silver Chrysler Pacifica or silver Nissan Murano that was passing by rolled down its windows and fired on the group. All three were transferred to an area hospital with nonlife threatening injuries.
Around noon on Saturday, police responded to a report of shots fired in the 1300 block of North Hickory Street. According to the report, multiple shots were fired from a blue Chrysler 300 that was occupied by four or five males in their early 20s or late teens.
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A fourth shooting occurred Saturday evening around 8 p.m. in the 1200 block of West Bradley Avenue. Three males were shot, two of whom received medical treatment, but no more details about the incident were provided.
Police are still searching for two vehicles, a red 1990s work truck with filler putty on the side of the truck, near the bottom, and a silver Chrysler Pacifica or Nissan Murano. The police are also searching for suspects involved in the event.
Police encourage anyone with information about the shooting to contact the police department.
“We want to stop any further bloodshed and will exhaust every available option to achieve this goal,” Champaign Deputy Chief Joseph Gallo said in a press release. “All of these shootings placed innocent people in our neighborhoods at risk.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Champaign police at 217-351-4545 or 217-373-8477 (TIPS). Information can also be submitted at 373tips.com.
