CHAMPAIGN — A suspect in a domestic disturbance was fatally shot and a central Illinois police officer reportedly has died after an exchange of gunfire early Wednesday, police said.
#BREAKING 🚨 One of the officers shot early this morning has passed away. RIP Officer Oberheim... 🙏💙
— WICS ABC 20 (@wics_abc20) May 19, 2021
Another officer was wounded in the incident but was reported in stable condition. 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.
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 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.
Rich Barak of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributed to this report.
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