Autopsy: 68-year-old man found dead in North Lawndale fire was fatally shot

A 68-year-old man pronounced dead after he was found in a residential fire Friday night in the North Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side was the victim of a homicide, according to authorities.

Shortly before 9 p.m., officers and firefighters responded to a residential fire in the 2300 block of South Kirkland Avenue, according to Chicago police. Officials extinguished the fire and found the 68-year-old victim inside the residence. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office on Saturday ruled the man’s death a homicide, saying it was caused by a gunshot wound to the neck and chest. His identity hasn’t yet been released.

Officials were investigating the cause of the fire.