ROSELAND — A 68-year-old Roseland man known to "invite the whole neighborhood" to his barbecues was shot to death Sunday night.
Cops found Fitz Bariffe shot in the chest in his South Side home in the 9400 block of South LaSalle Street about 11 p.m. The former CTA bus driver was mostly retired, but occasionally worked as a tour bus driver, according to neighbors.
Neighbors remembered Bariffe as someone who would do anything for the neighborhood.
“He would always help anyone out,” said Kevin Stenson, who lives a block west of Bariffe's home.
Since moving to the home a couple years ago, Bariffe had built a fence around his house to keep drug dealers off his stoop, Stenson said. Several residents in the neighborhood have also chosen to fence in their homes.
But he still maintained a reputation as someone eager to share his home.
Bariffe lived alone, but was known to take in other people who needed help. There were "always people there in the house," said Keith Lucks, who said his grandfather is a friend and neighbor of Bariffe.
Bariffe even took in one of Lucks' family members who needed shelter.
"He wasn't just a neighbor; he was a good neighbor," Lucks said. "He would share anything he had. If he had a barbeque, he'd invite the whole neighborhood."
The Tribune reported that the murder happened during a home invasion, but police at the scene would not confirm that. A police spokesman would not provide any details about the killing.
The investigation was ongoing, police said. No arrests have been made.
