On Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at approximately 7:14 p.m., Urbana Police Department officers responded to the 2000 block of Vawter Street following a report of an armed subject. Officers learned the suspect had forcefully entered a residence and then threatened the victim with a handgun. The suspect fled the scene shortly thereafter and no one was injured inside of the residence.
Responding officers received information that the suspect had fled to an apartment in the 1400 block of Silver Street after the home invasion. The suspect, who was later identified as twenty-year-old Ashawn Mitchell, voluntarily exited the apartment and he was taken into custody without incident. The residence was later searched by officers and detectives, and a handgun was found inside of the home.
Ashawn Mitchell was arrested on preliminary charges of home invasion and unlawful use/possession of a weapon by a felon. Formal charging decisions will be made by the Champaign County State's Attorney's Office following a review of the facts and evidence. All individuals charged are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
This investigation remains active. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Urbana Police Department at (217) 384-2320. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through Crime Stoppers of Champaign County at (217) 373-TIPS (8477).
Community members are reminded that information submitted to Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous. Calls are routed to a third-party national call center that receives your information, completes a tip information form, and then passes the information to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Caller ID tracking is not utilized by Crime Stoppers, and conversations are not recorded.
Crime Stoppers will pay cash rewards of $5,000 for tips that lead to an arrest in any homicide case, $2,500 for tips leading to an arrest in a felony crime involving a firearm, and up to $1,000 for tips leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for any other crime.