CHAMPAIGN — A man from Champaign and a man from Indianapolis were cited by Champaign police for disorderly conduct on Monday in connection with a series of incidents involving the firing of paintball guns in the city.

According to Champaign police reports, a resident reported seeing a van shooting at a building in the 800 block of West Bradley Avenue with a paintball gun at 5 p.m. Monday. The witness said that there were two people in the van, with the passenger hanging out the window of the van to fire the paintball gun.

Then, at 5:18 p.m. Monday, a resident reported seeing a small car with paintballs being shot out of the window at Prospect and Bradley. The witness said a man in the back seat held the paintball gun.

At 6:23 p.m., a resident reported seeing two men sitting between two parked cars shooting paintballs at a car that was passing through the area at North Harris Avenue and Bradley Avenue.

Then Champaign City Council member Will Kyles said he was riding a bicycle on Bradley Avenue Monday night when he was struck on the wrist by a paintball.
At 8 p.m., a resident reported seeing two people in a van shooting paintballs at moving vehicles on Glenn Park Drive.

Police found the van in a nearby parking lot and found it unoccupied with paintball guns inside. Police issued city notices to appear for disorderly conduct to Lawrence Lewis, 18, who listed an address in Champaign, and Marquis Miles, 23, who listed an address in Indianapolis, after they returned to the vehicle, the report said.

“We need to seek more ways to educate people that this kind of activity isn’t safe,” Kyles said on Tuesday night. ”It is a risk, not only to the people who are hit by paintballs, but also to the persons who are doing it.”