Dear campus community member:
We would like to provide you with an update on the incidents that prompted two Campus Safety Notices on Wednesday involving people being struck with pellets discharged from an air-powered gun.
On Thursday night, two people believed to be responsible for those attacks were arrested for aggravated battery and mob action. A third person under the age of 18 was identified and issued a no-trespassing notice for university property. More information has been posted on the Division of Public Safety website.
These crimes were solved with a combination of prompt reporting, good communication between police and community members, expert investigative work involving the use of security cameras, and attentive police patrols in the Campustown area.
We continue to seek information from anyone who witnessed or was struck in incidents not yet reported. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact University Police at 217-333-1216.
This is our community. Let’s stay together.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus is a safe one, but a community of our size will never be crime-free. University Police and its partner law enforcement agencies work hard to prevent crime and to quickly identify and arrest offenders when crime occurs, but you play the most important role in keeping our campus community safe.
- Stay together. Do not walk alone at night. Travel in groups and in well-lit areas. Call 217-333-1216 for a SafeWalks escort if you need one.
- Be alert. Maintaining awareness of your surroundings is critical, especially when traveling at night. Wearing headphones or looking at your phone diminishes your ability to respond to your surroundings. Walk with purpose, and stay attentive.
- Trust your instincts. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Call police if something looks odd — we’re happy to assist, and even the smallest bit of information could prevent another crime.
- Watch out for each other. Call 911 immediately if you or someone else is in danger. The University encourages students to take appropriate action to protect others’ safety by reducing students’ fear of legal or disciplinary consequences to the victim or themselves. For more information, please review the Medical Amnesty and Survivor Protections.
- If you choose to consume alcohol, please be responsible. Remember your ability to respond is diminished by overconsumption of alcohol.
- Promptly report crime or suspicious activity. It is more likely that police will be able to identify and apprehend offenders when crimes are reported immediately. Reporting crime or suspicious activity can help to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
If you become concerned about a friend or yourself as a result of this incident, the Student Assistance Center (SAC) can help. Staff in the SAC are available Monday through Friday between 8:30-5 p.m. Additionally, the Emergency Dean Program provides a university administrator who is on-call to assist in health or safety emergency situations that occur after business hours and require an immediate university response. Call 217-333-0050 to reach the SAC or the Emergency Dean. Additional information about these programs and others is available at odos.illinois.edu/community-of-care.
Please take a moment to review these resources we have made available to keep you informed, and consider liking UIPD on Facebook, following us on Twitter or subscribing to our news feed to receive regular updates.