David E. Dalton Jr., a 32-year-old African American man, was shot and killed shortly after midnight on June 20, 2021, in west Champaign, Illinois. The shooting occurred near Springfield Avenue and Kenwood at the Country Brook Apartments. Officers arriving at the scene encountered a large crowd and found Dalton with a gunshot wound to his back; he was pronounced dead at 12:58 p.m. at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. A 27-year-old man was also shot in the leg and survived.

Investigators recovered about 40 shell casings at the apartment scene, and fireworks were being set off at the time, contributing to the chaos. The Champaign Police Department classified the death as a homicide and asked the public for information and security camera footage from nearby businesses.

Police later arrested 20-year-old Davucci Craig and charged him with first-degree murder with a firearm in connection with the case, alleging he was the initial gunman who targeted Kieshaun Thatch during a separate shooting at an American Legion gathering after Dalton’s funeral. Craig also faced charges of aggravated cruelty to animals and criminal damage to property. Anyone with information or footage that could help the investigation is asked to come forward.