Every morning, Kizzy Jones texts her son, Jahiem, “hoping he texts me back. But I know I won’t hear back from him. It’s like it’s not real.” Her son, Jahiem M. Law, a 20-year-old Black man from Champaign, Illinois, was killed on the evening of July 13, 2023.
That Thursday, two large groups of people gathered and began fighting in a parking lot in the 1700 block of South State Street. During the physical altercation, one of the men, Trevione Robinson, pulled out a handgun and fired it. The gunfire struck Jahiem Law in the head and also hit a 21-year-old Champaign woman in the leg.
Champaign Police were called to the scene at 7:39 p.m. As shots rang out, the groups scattered, but officers who arrived were able to detain several people for questioning. Police and the Champaign Fire Department rendered medical aid to both victims before they were taken to Carle Foundation Hospital.
The young woman was treated for her non-life-threatening wound and was released in stable condition. Despite the efforts of medical staff, Jahiem Law succumbed to his injury and was pronounced dead.
The subsequent investigation identified 20-year-old Trevione Robinson of Champaign as the shooter. According to a state prosecutor, Robinson fired the first shots during the brawl, and Jahiem Law was not the person who was returning fire. Police arrested Robinson, and he was charged with first-degree murder for his role in the shooting. The case has since been closed, as Trevione Robinson was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for the fatal shooting.
