A man was found shot to death inside a home that had been set on fire in the Hyde Park area on Saturday morning.
What we know: Chicago police and firemen responded to the incident in the 4900 block of South Cornell Avenue shortly before 6:30 a.m.
After extinguishing the fire, firefighters discovered 47-year-old Boyd “BJ” Jarrell, who was unresponsive and had sustained a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Authorities claimed that someone deliberately set fire to Jarrell’s home and stole his opulent orange Lamborghini. They are still looking for a suspect.
What they’re saying: Jarrell’s family was told at 3 a.m. that his Lamborghini had been found crashed and abandoned on DuSable Lake Shore Drive near the Museum of Science and Industry.
“He loved that car. That was his baby,” Neighbor Judith Robinson Bauer said.
Jarrell, who ran his real estate company, was involved in his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi.
Bauer described him as caring and family-oriented.
“His little girl would come here, be with him for several days. A real sweetheart of a child. One time I needed to have something done with my air conditioner. He helped me with that,” Bauer said.
Construction personnel spent Saturday afternoon boarding up Jarrell’s townhouse, which had sustained considerable damage. His sister assessed the situation but denied an on-camera interview.
Jarrell left behind a little daughter.
What we don’t know: It is unclear what caused the shooting, and authorities are still searching for suspects.
