On the evening of February 8, 2025, a shooting during a domestic dispute in the 900 block of Lanore Drive in Urbana, Illinois, left 7-year-old Darnell “DJ” Wicks and 43-year-old Melvin Braxton dead. Darnell, a second-grade student at Bottenfield Elementary School, was pronounced dead at 8:28 PM at Carle Foundation Hospital Emergency Department. Braxton died later that evening at 9:30 PM in the hospital operating room after being found across the street from the residence with gunshot wounds.

Police say the shooting was not random and stemmed from a domestic violence situation. A firearm found with Braxton had been reported stolen, but it is unclear who fired the shot that killed him. Unit 4 School District activated a trauma response team while family and the community mourned Darnell as a joyful child who loved life.

The Urbana Police Department continues to investigate. If anyone has information about this incident, please come forward.