A police officer from Champaign was killed Wednesday morning and another officer was injured in a shooting incident while they were responding to a domestic disturbance at an apartment complex.
Champaign Police Chief Anthony Cobb identified the fallen officer as 44-year-old Chris Oberheim. He had worked for Champaign police since 2008 and worked for the Decatur Police Department for seven years before that.
”A true professional and devoted public servant, Officer Oberheim is remembered for his heroism, bravery, and the oath of office he honorably upheld in his commitment to duty,” Chief Cobb says.
Champaign Police Department Spokesman Tom Yelich says that officers responded to the Town Center Apartments in the 2400-block of North Neil Street around 3:30 a.m. after reports of a domestic disturbance. He says that the officers encountered 24-year-old Darion Lafayette, who began shooting at them.
Police shot Lafayette dead during the incident.
Oberheim, who lived in Monticello, is the third Champaign police officer to die in the line of duty, after Thomas Dodsworth in 1913 and Robert Tatman in 1967. He is survived by his wife and four daughters.
Illinois State Police, the University of Illinois Police Department, Champaign County Sheriff’s Department and the Urbana Police Department are assisting in the investigation.
