SAVOY, Ill. – Two people received non-life threatening injuries during a police-involved shooting at a Savoy apartment complex Thursday morning, though it is still unclear who fired the shots which caused the injuries.
At about 1:05 a.m. Thursday, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the Village at Colbert Park apartment complex, 100 Village Park Way, Savoy, for a report of shots fired. Multiple calls to 9-1-1 had been made, and it had been reported that people were screaming and running away from building 12 of the complex. Because Sheriff’s deputies were responding from distant locations, a Tolono Police officer and two University of Illinois Police officers were the first to arrive on the scene.
When the first officers arrived, at approximately 1:17 a.m., they observed a large group of people in the parking lot near building 12. While officers were preparing to investigate further, they heard several shots and saw a man firing a handgun. Officers immediately ran toward the area of the shots and engaged the offender. Both University of Illinois Police officers fired shots.
Two people who had sustained non-life threatening gunshot wounds attempted to leave the scene in an SUV. At this point, the source of the bullets which caused the injuries has not yet been determined.
Police caught the men who had attempted to flee, and both were transported by ambulance to Carle Hospital in Urbana for treatment. After treatment, an Urbana man, was arrested and transported to the Champaign County Correctional Center. Colson was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated discharge of a firearm.
The Champaign County Multi-Jurisdictional Investigative Team was activated to investigate this incident. The CCMIT is comprised of investigators from the Champaign Police Department, Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, Mahomet Police, Parkland College Police, Rantoul Police, University of Illinois Police, Urbana Police and the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office. The group works under the direction of the Illinois State Police.
Investigators and Crime Scene Technicians are working to process the scene and conduct interviews. A handgun and multiple shell casings were recovered at the scene. Like the majority of University of Illinois Police squad cars, the one that responded to this call is equipped with a video recorder. Portions of the event were captured on that video.
The two University of Illinois Police officers involved are Douglas Beckman and Nathaniel Park. Neither officer was injured during this incident. Per normal protocol, both officers will be on leave with pay while the investigation proceeds. The Tolono Police officer did not fire any shots.
Immediate details of the events that led up to the initial reports of gun fire are still unclear and the investigation of this incident continues. More details will be released as the investigation proceeds. Witnesses and people with information about this incident are encouraged to contact the Illinois State Police Zone 5 investigation office at 217-278-5000 or Champaign County Crimestoppers at 217-373-TIPS.