Police: ‘No one injured, no shots fired’ during gun incident at I-Hotel

University of Illinois' I-Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign on January 13, 2024.

Posted Saturday at 2:24 p.m.

CHAMPAIGN – University of Illinois police said no one was injured and no shots were fired when a gun was displayed at the I-Hotel and conference center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on Saturday afternoon. One person has been taken into police custody in connection with the incident.

In a statement to the media, UIPD said it responded to the facility Saturday at 12:21 p.m. after someone displayed a gun during a verbal dispute.

The incident happened at a graduation event unrelated to the university.

Police said people self-evacuated when they heard reports of a weapon had been seen. Officers quickly determined there was not an ongoing threat.

Minutes later, police stopped a vehicle in a traffic stop. They issued a state of Illinois notice to an adult for carrying a concealed weapon on prohibited property.

An 18-year-old carrying a gun was arrested. Police are investigating both person’s involvement in the incident at the I-Hotel.

An IPM Newsroom staffer at the hotel observed one police car in front of the entrance and a scheduled wedding expo continuing as normal at 1:30 p.m.


Posted Saturday at 1:44 p.m.

CHAMPAIGN – Published reports said the I-Hotel conference center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was briefly evacuated on Saturday afternoon after someone displayed a gun.

University police spokesperson Patrick Wade emailed IPM Newsroom at 1:44 p.m. to say there is “no ongoing emergency at this time.”

Wade also plans to publish a statement to the media within the hour.

He told the News-Gazette:  “no shots fired, no injuries.”

IPM News observed a UIPD police vehicle parked outside one entrance. And a bridal expo going on as normal in another part of the conference center.

This is a developing story. It will be updated once more information is released.

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Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director at Illinois Public Media. He oversees daily newscasts and online stories. He also manages The 21st Show, a live, weekday talk show that airs on six NPR stations throughout Illinois. He is the executive producer of IPM's annual environmental TV special "State of Change." And he is the co-creator of Illinois Soul, IPM's Black-focused audio service that launched in February 2024. Before arriving at IPM in 2019, he served as News Director at WKAR in East Lansing and spent 17 years as a TV news producer and manager at KXAS, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth. Reginald is the recipient of three Edward R. Murrow regional awards, seven regional Emmy awards, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Vietnam, Reginald grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsIPM