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Police ID 85-year-old man doused with gasoline, set afire

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Police in Alabama have identified an 85-year-old man who died after being doused with gasoline and set afire.

Birmingham police say Gene Dacus and the suspect had some type of encounter early Wednesday, when witnesses reported a fire in a backyard and saw the suspect running down an alley with a red gas jug.

Arriving officers found the Birmingham man lying on the ground in the backyard, his body severely burned. Dacus was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say the suspect was found a short distance away and taken into custody. His name hasn’t been released.

Police Chief A.C. Roper says in a statement that the suspect confessed, but officers don’t have a logical explanation for what happened.

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