Updated

Police in Alabama identified an 85-year-old man who died after being doused with gasoline and set afire on Wednesday.

Birmingham police said 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 said the suspect was found a short distance away and taken into custody. His name hasn't been released.

Police Chief A.C. Roper said in a statement that the suspect confessed, but officers didn't have a logical explanation for what happened.