Owner found dead inside burning South Side auto repair shop

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Police are investigating after a business owner was found dead with a gunshot wound inside his burning auto repair shop on Chicago's South Side.

Relatives identified the victim as 56-year-old Ed McArthur Jr., the owner of McArthur Auto Clinic.

"This stuff shouldn't happen. It shouldn't happen to nobody, especially a great guy," said Dion Jones, the victim's nephew.

Firefighters made the gruesome discovery just after 6:30 a.m. while putting out a building fire at 80th and Stony Island Avenue in the Stony Island Park neighborhood.

The man's body was found on the second floor of the body shop. Relatives said police at the scene told them he had been shot in the head and that a weapon was found lying next to him.

"He never left the community. He didn't leave to go away, he stayed here and he left his legacy. He put his life into the corner right here," one man said.

As police continue their investigation, those who knew McArthur are remembering him as a role model for young black men in the neighborhood who remained committed to the community.

They said he would often fix people's cars for free if they couldn't afford to pay.

"Mr. Mac was a beautiful person - a warm, kind-hearted, generous person. For this tragedy to happen, it's horrible," said Darrell Smith, a neighborhood resident.

Detectives are looking at a hard-drive connected to the building's security system as the investigation continues.