A GoFundMe account has been established for the family of a man gunned down by his brother in the middle of the night in Highland Park.
The GoFundMe account for John Austwick, 60, of Mundelein, was created to assist his wife, Laura, and two daughters, Samantha, 26, and Kelsey, 24, the account reads.
“John lit up every room he walked in and could put a smile on anyone’s face,” the account reads. “John had so much more life to live, at 60 years old he was in the beginning steps of starting his own carpentry business; a lifelong dream of his. He also had his daughter Kelsy’s law school graduation to look forward to in the coming years.”
Late Friday, police identified Jeffrey S. Austwick, 54, of the 1700 block of Park Avenue West in Highland Park, as the person who shot John and brother, Marc Austick, 63, of Lake Forest, outside of the home Jeffrey Austwick lived in on Park Avenue West.
Jeffrey Austwick was taken into custody at about 5:30 a.m. Friday at a park in St. Louis, Missouri, authorities said.
Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said the preliminary investigation shows Marc and John Austwick went to the house to discuss the property with Jeffrey Austwick.
Covelli said the home was owned by the mother of the three brothers, but that she had recently passed away.
After the two brothers arrived, Jeffrey Austwick allegedly shot his brothers, then set the house on fire, Covelli said.
Investigators obtained a nationwide arrest warrant for Jeffrey later on Wednesday for two counts of murder.
Jeffrey Austwick was taken into custody Friday morning and remains in Missouri pending an initial court hearing, Covelli said.
The Highland Park Police Department and Highland Park Fire Department responded to the home at around 3:50 a.m. June 5 after a neighbor reported the house was on fire.
Firefighters arrived to find the house was heavily involved in flames.
While evaluating the fire, firefighters found Marc and John Austwick dead in the grass outside of the house.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office confirmed later on Wednesday that both men died from multiple gunshot wounds, not from the fire itself.
Firefighters eventually extinguished the fire with the help of other fire departments.
A crime scene was immediately established and numerous police and fire investigators, including the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, the Illinois State Fire Marshal, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Marshals Service, joined the local investigators.
Authorities said that the murders appeared to be isolated and there was no threat to the community.
Park Avenue West between Ridge Road and Sunnyside Avenue was shut down Wednesday and Thursday due to the investigation.
Lake County court records of the case were not immediately available to the public Friday evening.