Two shootings near the University of Illinois campus left four people injured and one dead. Police believe the two shootings are related. The first shooting took place just after 13:20 a.m. early Sunday morning in the 300 block of East Green street. When police arrived at the scene they found four people with gunshot wounds. The people that were shot were taken to local hospitals, where one person died of their injuries and the other three victims are expected to be okay. Another individual was hit by a car running from the gunfire but received minor injuries.
The Champaign County Coroner has identified the person who died from the shooting as George Korchev of Mundelein, IL. He was pronounced dead at 1:02 a.m. at Carle Foundation Hospital. Campus police say Korchev was not a student at the University of Illinois.
Preliminary investigation suggests that an argument took place during an apartment party. The argument transitioned outside, where a fight broke out and shots were fired. The victims, one of whom is a university student, were not involved in the fight.
About 30 minutes later, at 1:08 a.m., police received another report of gunfire in the 700 block of South State Street, Champaign. Upon arrival, officers found a victim who was transported to an area hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Investigators believe the two incidents may be related.
Police continue to look for those involved in the shooting incidents, as well as the driver involved in the vehicle accident. The Champaign Police Department is leading the investigation, and the University of Illinois Police Department, Champaign County Sheriff’s Department and Champaign County Coroner are assisting to process the scene, review security camera footage and interview potential witnesses. Anyone who was at the party or who may have witnessed any of these incidents is urged to contact the Champaign Police Investigations Division at police@champaignil.gov or 217-351-4545.
Witnesses may remain anonymous by calling Champaign County Crime Stoppers at 217-373-8477 (373-TIPS) or by visiting www.373tips.com. Anonymous tips may also be sent via text message by texting keyword “CCTIP” plus the information to 274637 (CRIMES). Calls or messages sent to Crime Stoppers are scrubbed of identifying information and are answered by a third-party service, not the police.
Law enforcement agencies are working hard to find the person or people responsible for these crimes. The Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs is providing support to the student who was injured and will provide counseling to any students who want to talk to someone in the coming days. Our campus community is a strong one, and our thoughts are with the victims, their families and anyone else affected by this violence.