Champaign man acquitted of murder in deadly 2021 shooting

URBANA, Ill. (WAND) - A Champaign man has been acquitted of murder in a deadly 2021 shooting in Urbana.

The News-Gazette reports a Champaign County judge ruled the state could not prove that Brian J. Ferrell, 38, did not shoot at Kendall K. Jones, 33, in self-defense on September 11, 2021.

That verdict followed a three-day bench-trial.

Authorities found Jones at about 4:40 a.m. that day on a sidewalk in the 1400 block of Ivanhoe Way. He had multiple gunshot wounds.

Another suspect, 32-year-old Jonathan E. Brumfield, was also arrested in connection to the shooting. He is held in lieu of $1 million bond and will be back in court on March 8.

Police said Jones and the alleged killers knew each other and people had been hanging out the night before the shooting at Jones' Ivanhoe Way home. They said some people at the house left and came back with Brumfield and Ferrell before a fight happened.

At least 24 shots were fired. Police found evidence of three different types of guns being fired at the scene but recovered none of them.

Ferrell has three past convictions on his record for mob action, possession of a controlled substance, criminal trespass to land, theft, attempted delivery of a controlled substance and delivery of a controlled substance. The crimes date back to 2003.

Ferrell will still see prison as a result of the incident because the judge convicted him of unlawful possession of a weapon as a felon, the News Gazette reported. Ferrell admitted to emptying a .40 caliber handgun at Jones.

He could not legally possess a gun due to a prior conviction but testified Wednesday that Jones had drawn a gun and shot first. The judge sided with Ferrel’s attorney who argued that the state could not prove her client didn’t fire with justification.