Before a 15-year-old boy was found inside the trunk of a burning car in Bridgeport, he was shot to death, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

       Chicago police and firefighters responded to a vehicle fire in the 3700 block of South Parnell Avenue shortly after 2 a.m. Friday. They found an unidentified victim in the trunk, who was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

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       The medical examiner’s office has identified the victim as a 15-year-old boy but has not yet released his name. The office ruled the death a homicide caused by gunshot wounds to the neck and chest.

       Crisis responder Andrew Holmes said the boy was a freshman attending Menta Academy Chicago South. His mother and family told him the boy had a smile that could “light up the room.”

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       Holmes said officials believe the burning car was stolen from an auto repair shop, possibly from Lansing in the south suburbs. He doesn’t think the boy was shot in Bridgeport because his family said he doesn’t know anyone or spend time in the area.

       “It still remains who killed him, why and where did they take this young man’s life before they tracked all the way here in the alley to set a fire,” Holmes said.

       It’s also unlikely that someone committed the crime alone, Holmes said. He encourages nearby residents with surveillance footage to come forward. There’s a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

       “I believe someone else trailed that car to the alley, and the individual that was driving the car had to get out, had to walk. There’s plenty of surveillance cameras down there, so it had to be someone picking him or her up.”

       rjohnson@chicagotribune.com