Two violent incidents in Champaign leave 8 people in the hospital

File pictures of Champaign police cars on the scene of a crime.

CHAMPAIGN – Police say there are multiple shooting victims after two incidents early Sunday morning.

Police say an argument inside a business spilled into the 100 block of South Neil Street in the downtown area around 1:30 Sunday morning.

A 21-year-old woman was shot in the arm. And a 21-year-old man was stabbed in the back. Both are hospitalized in stable condition.

Police have arrested 23-year-old Sergio Sosa of Rantoul in connection with the stabbing. The pending charges include aggravated battery. Arthur resident Junior Molinero, 22, was arrested and faces charges of mob action.

Two hours later, officers responded to several victims of gunfire and vehicle collisions in the 1-thousand block of North Sixth Street. Police say someone opened fire in a large crowd, prompting several people to flee in vehicles.

The injured include a 17-year-old male shot in the head. He is in the hospital in critical condition.

Three men suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. And two women were injured by vehicles.

No one has been arrested in this case.

Police say the two incidents were not related to each other.

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