Champaign man charged in June shooting that led to car crash
Oct. 5—URBANA — A Champaign man accused of shooting from one vehicle at another in west Champaign with a gun he illegally possessed is in the Champaign County Jail.
Elijah Duckworth, 28, whose last known address was in the 900 block of West Vine Street, was arrested Wednesday on a warrant issued last month after he was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon on parole.
A hearing on the state's request that he be held pending trial is set for today.
The charge of aggravated discharge alleges that about 12:15 a.m. June 6, Duckworth fired a handgun from a Jeep at the occupants of a Chevrolet car as both vehicles headed south on McKinley Avenue from Providence Circle, which is just north of Bradley Avenue.
A Champaign police report said just minutes before the shooting, Duckworth had allegedly been arguing with a woman on Providence Circle, got out of a car armed with a black semi-automatic handgun and approached her. After a physical fight with her, he got in a Jeep and left.
Police were in the area and saw the subsequent gunfire between the Jeep and Chevrolet. The Chevrolet crashed near Beardsley Avenue, afer which James and its occupants ran away. The Jeep also left the area.
Police found bullet holes in the Chevrolet and casings in the intersection of McKinley and Beardsley. They also located surveillance video that showed the gunfire exchange.
Later that same day, police found the Jeep with bullet damage and 9 mm casings on the passenger floorboard. They also found surveillance video that showed Duckworth driving that Jeep.
Police said about two weeks later, on June 24, Duckworth was with Maurice Bluminberg, 21, of Rantoul when they fled from a car crash in the area of McKinley and Green Street. Bluminberg was charged with multiple weapons and drug offenses after police found him hiding in a backyard. Near him was a bag with two loaded handguns with laser sights and cocaine.
A police report said preliminary testing revealed that one of the handguns was used in the June 6 shooting.
That information was used to charge Duckworth with aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon on parole for the June 6 activity, as well as unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon on parole on June 24.
Court records show Duckworth has multiple prior felony convictions for aggravated robbery, aggravated battery, theft and obstructing justice.
If he's convicted of aggravated discharge of a firearm, Duckworth could be sent to prison for four to 30 years, a harsher sentence than normal based on his criminal record.
Both those vehicle crashes, as well as others, prompted vocal residents to contact their city council representative to see if something could be done about the reckless driving through their neighborhoods around McKinley, Green and Springfield.
