The alley memorial for murdered 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee was destroyed in a fire early Sunday in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the South Side.
Firefighters responded to a garage fire at about 3 a.m in the 2000 block of West 80th Street, Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Walter Schroeder said. The memorial for Tyshawn — which included several candles — was located next to the garage.
Nobody was injured in the blaze, according to Chicago Police.
Schroeder said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The memorial was erected after the fourth-grader was lured into the alley and gunned down Nov. 2, police said. Chicago Police have executed several search warrants in the investigation, and a $54,600 reward has been offered for any information leading to an arrest.
The memorial burned down a day after Tyshawn's mother, Karla Lee, spoke out to about claims that she used money from a GoFundMe account for Tyshawn's funeral to buy a new car. Lee told NBC 5 she did buy a new car after her son's death, but she did not use the money from the GoFundMe account. She added that she purchased the car for protection when she goes to work.
The funeral for Tyshawn is set for Tuesday at St. Sabina Church. Services will begin at 10 a.m.
