Man's body found burning in street on Detroit's east side

DETROIT (WJBK) - After a man's body was founding burning in the street on Detroit's east side, neighbors are trying to make sense of the crime.

"Hopefully he was dead before they lit him on fire," Rick Frost said.

Frost says he woke up Sunday night to bright lights from police cars and fire trucks.

He says when he went outside, he found out that a body had been set on fire just a few feet away from his front door.

"This is disturbing because they are making some kind of statement," he said. "They did it in the street. ... If you want to burn a body, you've got fields, empty garages, vacant houses. That's why it's kind of a statement to do it right here."

Police say around 11 p.m. Sunday, a body was discovered on fire near Crane and Moffat.

Investigators say the body was burned beyond recognition.

But according to the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office, the victim actually died from multiple gun shot wounds.

As police continue to investigate, officials say they are waiting on dental records so they can ID the body.

"It's just cruel. I mean how could you do that to a human being?" said a neighbor, who asked not to be identified.

He says he knows the victim because they share a love for the sport of drag racing and would see one another at competitions.

"We called him The Chef," he said. "He used to race with a group called Young Money Racing. Great group of guys."

But according to his racing friend, the victim, who he only knows by his nickname, had recently gone missing.

"His truck being missing, him being missing, and the truck was found in the area somewhere. I don't know exactly where, and once you see the truck you would know it was him," he said.

As neighbors and those who say they know the victim try to make sense of this crime, one neighbor says he is confident police will solve this case soon.

"Give it about another week. The streets talk," Frost said.