The 16-year-old boy who lost his life after being shot in a mall parking lot in Champaign has been identified as Jaylen Bailey. Champaign County coroner Laurie Brauer said that Bailey was pronounced dead at 11:44 pm Saturday after being shot in the incident at Market Place Mall the same day.
An autopsy has been scheduled, Brauer stated, according to The News-Gazette.
“The loss of young life, or any life, is the hardest part of being mayor. The pain of losing a child, family member or friend knows no limits — especially when someone this young is involved. My condolences to the family and friends affected by yesterday’s shooting,” Champaign Mayor Deb Feinen said in a statement.
“Following the tragic incident, the city launched a coordinated response to ensure timely, comprehensive support and assistance. From the initial actions of our police and fire departments to the ongoing efforts of our Equity and Engagement Department’s Community Safety and Justice Division, the street outreach teams and our blueprint partners, I appreciate how these teams came together in a challenging moment,” Feinen added.
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Police responded to a fight in the parking lot near Dick’s House of Sport at approximately 6:14 pm. At least one person discharged a firearm during the fight, hitting the 16-year-old. He was rushed to a local hospital and later pronounced dead.
No arrests have been made yet.
The mall outside which the incident took place is owned by Chicago-based GGP. The company owns shopping malls across the United States.
Following the shooting, the company spokeswoman issued a statement to WAND News, saying, “A senseless, tragic incident happened outside our shopping center last night. We are grateful to our security officers and partners at CPD for their quick action and diligence to contain the situation. This remains an active investigation, and we have to direct all inquiries to law enforcement.”
Who was Jaylen Bailey?
While the Champaign community is mourning Bailey’s death, not much information has been released about the teen. Pastor Willie Comer with Youth for Christ, one of Champaign’s nonviolence blueprint partners, told FOX Illinois journalist Brianna Moreland that this incident hit especially close to home. He said that the teens involved in the fight were once part of his program, and when he learned who the victim was, it brought him to tears.
“I’ve known them since sixth grade, and I could not believe and it hurts me, because I know that if I could have been in that space, I could have told them to go home, and I know that they would have listened. It’s not even a question,” said Comer.
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Comer said that families and community leaders must step in before another tragedy takes place.
“The community, we better be on guard, because these kids, this group of kids, they ran with in clicks of kids, and they will be looking for revenge. They will be looking for retaliation. And as a community, we had better be on guard and engaging,” said Pastor Comer.
Comer further said that he is re-evaluating his program as he believes it should also include freshmen and sophomores.
“And we now have to extend our program to say, Wait a minute. we’ve gotta go a little further with them. We gotta walk a little further with them,” said Pastor Comer.
Comer believes that the city needs a wider conversation to bring about change.
“We need to have a meeting where we cast a vision for our city, every aspect of the city. What is it that what kind of city do we want? Do we want a city where it’s full of violence and our teenagers are dying and teenagers are going to jail at the end of the day,” he said.
