In the early morning of Friday, January 16, 2026, 52-year-old Benancio Crowley of Champaign was shot in the 1200 block of Ellis Drive in Urbana. Urbana police responded about 1:48 a.m. and found Crowley with a gunshot wound. He was given emergency aid at the scene, taken to Carle Foundation Hospital, and pronounced dead at 2:56 a.m. by the Champaign County Coroner’s Office. An autopsy was scheduled.

Detectives and Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigators reported that the alleged shooter had fled before officers arrived. Later that same day, just before 2:15 p.m., 19-year-old Charles Lake was arrested in the 1900 block of Blackthorn Drive in Champaign with assistance from the Champaign Police Department SWAT Team. The investigation remains active; authorities have asked anyone with information or relevant video to contact the Urbana Police Department or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers.

If anyone in the Ellis Drive area that morning saw something or has footage to share, please contact investigators.