CARBONDALE –On March 21, 2026, at 2:12 a.m. City of Carbondale Police Officers responded to the 900 block of West Main Street in reference to a fight in progress. Officers learned that two males engaged William D. Lee, 46, of Carbondale, in an argument stemming from an ongoing personal dispute. Lee, who was sitting in his vehicle in a business parking lot, exited with a large knife and attacked both males. Lee left in his vehicle before the police arrived. Officers arrived on scene and began administering medical care to both victims. Officers also located Lee in the immediate area and took him into custody. Both victims received serious injuries, one considered life-threatening. The victims were taken to the emergency room for treatment, where one was later released and the second is currently considered in stable condition. Lee also received a serious but non-life-threatening, self-sustained injury and was taken to the emergency room for treatment. Lee was arrested for Aggravated Battery, Great Bodily Harm. After receiving medical treatment, Lee was incarcerated in the Jackson County Jail pending a detention hearing. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the police department at the numbers listed below. The investigation remains active and ongoing.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the City of Carbondale Police Department at (618) 549-2121. You may also call the Carbondale/SIU Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (618) 549-COPS (2677) or the Murphysboro/Jackson County anonymous tip line at (618) 687-COPS (2677). Anonymous tips may also be made by selecting the “Crime Stoppers” tab on this website’s main page. Please help yourself and your county, its communities, and the university campus by using these numbers if you witness or have any information about a crime. Cash rewards for information that leads to an arrest are also made anonymously. Remember, crime doesn’t pay, but Crime Stoppers does! For more information about Crime Stoppers, please follow the QR Code.