Police officers were called to scene of domestic interference on city’s north side at about 3:20 a.m.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A central Illinois police officer died Wednesday after being shot by a defendant in a domestic disturbance who also was killed in an exchange of gunfire that left a second officer wounded, a police chief said.
He said Oberheim, who’d joined the department in September 2008, was struck by gunfire early Wednesday while responding to a domestic disturbance. “His only intention was to serve, protect and help provide care before he had been senselessly fired upon and killed.”
“An experienced professional and devoted public servant, Officer Oberheim is remembered because of his heroism, bravery, and the oath of office he honorably maintained in his commitment to duty,” Cobb said in his statement.
Champaign authorities said in a statement that two officers that were called to the scene of a domestic disturbance on the city’s north about 3:20 a.m. struck an armed man after leaving their police cars and an exchange of gunfire followed.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, even while both officers sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to a hospital. One officer was in critical condition and the other was steady, authorities said.
Champaign police didn’t immediately release additional information about the shooting at the city roughly 130 miles (209 km ) south of Chicago.
The (Champaign) News-Gazette reported that the shooting happened at an apartment complex and it came days after Champaign Police Chief Anthony Cobb said that he feared a shooting between police could occur as town copes with escalating gun violence.
There were around 85 reports of shots fired, and many injuries, in Champaign so much this year, the paper reported.
Champaign authorities 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 outfitted with body cameras in 2017, and these cameras are triggered when an officer responds to service requirements or is engaged in any legislation enforcement-related experience, according to data posted on the section site.
