Suspect dead, 2 Illinois cops wounded in exchange of gunfire

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A suspect in a domestic disturbance was fatally shot and two central Illinois police officers were wounded, one critically, in an exchange of gunfire early Wednesday, police said.

Champaign police said in a statement that two officers who were called to the scene of a domestic disturbance on the city’s north side about 3:20 a.m. encountered an armed person after exiting their police cars and an exchange of gunfire followed.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, while both officers sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to a hospital. One officer was in critical condition and the other was stable, police said.

Champaign police did not immediately release additional details on the shooting in the city about 130 miles south of Chicago.

A message seeking additional information, including whether the officers’ body cameras captured the shooting, was left for police by The Associated Press.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette reported that the shooting occurred at an apartment complex and it came days after Champaign Police Chief Anthony Cobb said he feared a shooting involving police could happen as the city deals with escalating gun violence.

There have been about 85 reports of shots fired, and many injuries, in Champaign so far this year, the newspaper reported.

Champaign police said Illinois State Police will lead the investigation into the shooting, with assistance from Urbana police, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office and the University of Illinois Police Department.

The Champaign Police Department’s officers were equipped with body cameras in 2017, and those cameras are activated when an officer responds to service calls or is engaged in any law enforcement-related encounter, according to information posted on the department’s website.