Update: April 26, 6:00 p.m.
SANDWICH, Ill. – Kearns was found deceased April 25 in Sandwich, Illinois, after being brought to the hospital with an unknown medical condition. The DeKalb County Coroner will be conducting an autopsy Monday.
The investigation is ongoing. Preliminary information does not suggest that any kind of incident occurred in the Champaign-Urbana area.
Original post:
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois Police Department is asking for the public’s help in looking for a man who fled to Illinois after being involved in a shooting in Wisconsin.
Ian J. Kearns, 22, of Sandwich, Illinois, and two other men are suspected to have been involved in the March 20 shooting death of a man in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, during a robbery attempt. The two men who were with Kearns have been arrested. All those involved in the shooting have known gang connections, and it is suspected that drugs may have been involved in the robbery attempt.
The University of Illinois Police Department became involved on Thursday when police in Eau Claire developed information that Kearns may have been staying with his girlfriend near the U. of I. campus.
Police then learned that Kearns was staying at a nearby hotel. After obtaining a search warrant to enter the hotel room, investigators found that Kearns had left before police arrived. Police recovered personal items belonging to Kearns in the room.
Kearns’ vehicle also was found in Champaign, and the vehicle is now in police custody.
Kearns is described as a white man, 5’7”, 180 pounds, with short brown hair, brown eyes, and a “VL” or “XL” tattoo on the front of his neck. His photo is attached to this release.
Information about the race or ethnicity of alleged offenders is provided only to aid detailed descriptions that include physical stature, clothing or unusual characteristics. Racial descriptions do not, by themselves, offer a meaningful picture of an individual’s appearance.
Anyone who thinks they may have seen Kearns in the Champaign-Urbana area, or anyone with other information about Kearns, is asked to call the University of Illinois Police Department at 217-333-1216. You may remain anonymous by contacting Champaign County Crime Stoppers at 217-373-8477, online at 373tips.com or by downloading the P3 Tips mobile app. All messages to Crime Stoppers are electronically stripped of identifying information before they are forwarded to police.
