MORGAN PARK — The family of a Morgan Park man who died in an explosion in his garage said the death came after the man had been threatened by a group of young men.
At 4 a.m. May 31, Henry McCann Jr. saw a man in the backyard of his home in the 11200 block of South Green Street, according to Officer Bari Lemmon, a Chicago Police spokeswoman.
The man fled, and McCann went to his garage, suspecting that the man had broken into it, Lemmon said. When McCann opened the garage door, an explosion occurred and left him with severe burns.
He died of his injuries on Friday. The fire was ruled an arson.
Kimberly Abernathy, McCann's daughter-in-law, told DNAinfo that McCann was a retired Chicago Police officer who had an altercation with a group of "young men" who tried to break into his garage while he was in the backyard barbecuing recently. Abernathy said the group threatened to come back and burn down the garage.
"He was an honorable, family man," Abernathy said. "This is tragic. They said they were going to come back."
Police wouldn't confirm whether McCann had been threatened in the past.
Julia Hughes, who lives across the street from McCann, heard the sirens from the fire department's trucks.
"This was a senseless death. This is a quiet neighborhood," Hughes said. "It had to be scary to see someone impose on your property like that."
Hughes said she's lived on the block for most of her life.
"He didn't bother anyone," Hughes said. "He took care of his property just like everyone else."
One of the garages next to McCann's home was destroyed, along with a garage across the alley that had minor damage due to the explosion.
No one is in custody and a homicide investigation is underway, said Officer Kevin Quaid, a Chicago Police spokesman.
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