[Peace-discuss] NG on Donnell Clemons

Thu Jul 12 15:39:36 CDT 2007

 [image: The News-Gazette.com]   More charges filed in West Side Park
shooting case By Steve
Bauer<http://www.news-gazette.com/news/reporter/sbauer/> Thursday
July 12, 2007

CHAMPAIGN – New charges were filed Wednesday against a Champaign man accused
of shooting two police officers at West Side Park.

Donnell Clemons, 47, was transferred Wednesday afternoon from Carle
Foundation Hospital and arraigned by video connection to the courthouse on
charges stemming from a shootout June 7 in the 300 block of West Church
Street. Clemons was still wearing a hospital gown covered by a T-shirt and
remained seated as he was arraigned by Judge Holly Clemons.

Donnell Clemons was previously charged with one count of attempted murder
and one count of aggravated battery to a police officer in which he is
accused of shooting to kill and shooting at Deputy Chief John Murphy.

New charges filed by prosecutors Wednesday also accuse Clemons of aggravated
discharge of a firearm for shooting at Murphy and Officer Shannon Bridges,
attempted murder for shooting Bridges and possession of a weapon by a felon.

Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz said the new charges resulted
from an ongoing investigation of the June 7 shooting. She said the two
charges of attempted murder of a peace officer carry possible sentences, if
Clemons is convicted, of up to 80 years in prison.

"We consider this case as serious as any case where someone else is shot,"
Rietz said.

She also said Wednesday that the bullet that wounded Officer Jack Armstrong
apparently came from a ricochet, but lab results are still pending. If
further evidence indicates Armstrong was wounded by a bullet from Clemons'
gun, additional charges could be filed later.

Investigation showed that Clemons used a .380-caliber handgun that had been
purchased by a person, now deceased, with whom he had been living
previously, according to Rietz. None of the police officers that night used
a .380-caliber gun, she said.

Assistant State's Attorney Steve Ziegler said in arraignment court Wednesday
that police took the gun from Clemons after the shooting. Several
.380-caliber casings were also found at the scene, he said.

Ziegler said police were dispatched to West Side Park about 7:40 p.m. June 7
on a report that a man with a gun had been seen on the north side of the
park. Bridges and Murphy approached a car, which later was found to be
occupied by Clemons, he said. Clemons leaned from the driver's seat, and
from the passenger window fired one shot that hit Murphy in the chest.

Murphy was wearing a protective vest but was still injured, the prosecutor
said.

Clemons then shifted his attention to Bridges and fired several shots in her
direction, according to Ziegler. Police returned fire, and Clemons was hit,
he said.

Champaign County Public Defender Randy Rosenbaum said in court that Clemons
had been brought to the jail from the hospital within an hour of the
arraignment.

"He still has three bullets in him from police shooting back at him,"
Rosenbaum said.

Rosenbaum said he believes Clemons was shot six times. He said Clemons is
still in pain and obviously no flight risk. But the attorney's request for
lower bond was denied, and the judge kept bond at $10 million.

Clemons is due to return to court for a preliminary hearing July 31 and
again for a pretrial hearing Aug. 14.

Court records show Clemons was convicted in 1997 and sentenced to two years
in prison for carrying a gun into the Champaign County Courthouse.

Champaign Police Chief R.T. Finney said last month that the shooting
occurred when officers were investigating a report of a man with a gun at
West Side Park and approached a car parked near Church and Prairie streets.

Finney said Clemons began shooting and officers returned fire. As a result,
the chief said, Murphy and Bridges were wounded by Clemons. Armstrong was
also wounded in the gunfire.

Murphy and Armstrong were treated and quickly released, but Bridges was not
released until June 13.

Finney said at the time that he considered Murphy, Bridges and Armstrong all
heroes and thanked everyone who had sent the officers messages of support
and best wishes.

He said Wednesday that Bridges is still off duty, recovering from her
injuries.

"We're still suffering from that," the chief said.

Finney said the police department is looking forward to getting the case
into the legal process.

The chief said he does not have enough information to comment on whether
Armstrong may have been wounded as a result of "friendly fire" from other
officers, rather than Clemons.

"Armstrong's wound appeared to be from a portion of a bullet," Finney said.

That could result from a bullet breaking by hitting a car, the pavement or
other hard object, so it's not clear where that shot came from.

A Serious Use of Force Team, led by Urbana police investigators, along with
University of Illinois and Rantoul police, the Champaign County sheriff's
office and Illinois State Police, was asked by Finney to do an independent
investigation of the shooting. The team's report will be given to Rietz's
office.

Urbana Sgt. Dan Morgan said Wednesday that the state's attorney has been
advised on the progress of their investigation, but that a report has not
yet been sent.
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Comments

[image: The News-Gazette.com, The East Central Illinios Online source for
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-- 
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
303 W. Locust St.
Urbana, IL 61801
briandolinar at gmail.com
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