Man who died after falling from Champaign high-rise is identified

UPDATED 5:05 p.m. Monday

The Champaign County coroner has identified the man who died after either falling or jumping off a high-rise apartment building at 309 E. Green St., C.

Coroner Duane Northrup said that Justin A. Howie, 29, of Champaign was pronounced dead at 9:27 p.m. Sunday in the emergency room at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana.

Northrup hasn’t confirmed if it was an accident or a suicide.

He said that Mr. Howie died from multiple blunt force injuries he received when he fell or jumped from the eighth floor of the building, landing on the ground below.

Champaign police spokeswoman Rene Dunn said police were called at 8:49 p.m. Sunday after a man was found between that building and another, and had injuries consistent with falling.

She said she couldn’t confirm whether the fall was intentional..

Nicknamed “the Whopper” because it was built on the former site of a Burger King restaurant, the 24-story Campustown high-rise is the tallest building in Champaign-Urbana. It opened in fall 2008.