University Police investigating off-campus shooting
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois – A shooting at a large house party just off campus Sunday morning injured one U. of I. student and prompted an Illini-Alert emergency notification. At 4:20 a.m. Sunday, multiple 911 callers reported that shots had been fired outside of a large house party in the 600 block of South Third Street, Champaign. Preliminary investigation suggests that two men at the party became involved in an altercation, which escalated into both producing firearms and attempting to shoot the other. One uninvolved bystander, a U. of I. student, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken by ambulance to a local [...]
Attempted retail theft leads to stabbing
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois – University Police are investigating after an attempted retail theft Thursday morning at an off-campus convenience store resulted in a store employee receiving non-life-threatening stab wounds. The incident prompted a campuswide Illini-Alert notification sent to all students, faculty and staff. Police initially were called at 3:53 a.m. Thursday by a store employee at Circle K, 51 E. Green St., Champaign, who reported that he was stabbed during a struggle with a man who attempted to take alcohol from the store without paying. Recognizing the theft in progress, the employee attempted to detain the offender. A physical struggle ensued, [...]
Fake watch offer
A U. of I. student reported that he attempted to purchase a watch being offered for sale through the OfferUp app. The student used a banking app to pay the initial asking price of $350, and then the purported seller continued to demand more money to cover shipping costs. The seller then sent false shipping tracking information and demanding another payment. The student ended communication and contacted police. By this time, he had paid a total of $489 in six separate transactions.
Sexual extortion
A U. of I. student reported that he met another person through a dating app, and the online conversation resulted in the student sending the other person intimate photos and his phone number. The offender then text messaged the student with a threat to send the photos to the student's social media contacts if the student did not pay money. The student did not pay, and the conversation ended.
University Police investigating shots fired incident
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois – The University of Illinois Police Department is investigating a shots fired incident that occurred at 10:36 p.m. in the 600 block of South Second Street, Champaign. No injuries were reported. Police initially were on scene in just over one minute after multiple 911 calls from witnesses who heard a series of gunshots. After canvassing the area, officers recovered four shell casings and spoke with several witnesses who heard the shots fired. The incident triggered an Illini-Alert emergency notification sent to all students, faculty and staff. The investigation is ongoing. University Police are patrolling the area, and investigators [...]