Springfield Man Charged with First-Degree Murder in Downtown Shooting

A Springfield man has been charged with first-degree murder following a fatal shooting outside Clique, an LGBTQ bar in downtown Springfield early Saturday morning.

At approximately 12:56 a.m. on November 1, Springfield Police officers responded to the 400 block of East Washington Street for reports of gunfire. Upon arrival, officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound near the entrance of Clique. Emergency medical personnel rendered aid before transporting the victim to Springfield Memorial Hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.

Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon identified the victim as 22-year-old Jayvon Bankhead of Springfield. Allmon said Bankhead was pronounced dead at 3:52 a.m. by hospital staff. An autopsy determined that he died from a single gunshot wound. The case remains under investigation by the Springfield Police Department and the Sangamon County Coroner’s Office.

Detectives with the Springfield Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division identified a suspect through extensive investigative work. With assistance from the department’s Proactive Crime Unit and Street Crimes Unit, officers located 29-year-old Christopher M. Coleman of Springfield in the 800 block of West North Grand Avenue. Coleman was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Sangamon County Jail.

On November 3, the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office formally charged Coleman with first-degree murder in connection with Bankhead’s death. He remains in custody at the Sangamon County Jail.

The shooting occurred outside Clique, which confirmed in a social media post that the incident took place outside its establishment and that the suspect fled the scene in a vehicle. Springfield Police have not commented on a possible motive.

Authorities continue to encourage anyone with information related to the case to contact the Springfield Police Department at (217) 788-8311 or Crime Stoppers of Sangamon and Menard Counties at (217) 788-8427.