BATON ROUGE- Members of a Baton Rouge community are reluctant to speak to police after a man was shot to death and left inside a burning car early Wednesday morning.

The fire was reported in the 1900 block of Arkansas Street just before 4 a.m. Wednesday. 

Once the fire was under control, police found the body of 35-year-old Antonio Sterling inside. BRPD confirmed that the victim is related to Alton Sterling, a man killed in a high profile officer-involved shooting back in 2016.

On Thursday, the coroner's office confirmed Sterling died from a gunshot to the head before police found him inside the charred vehicle.

Residents say possible witnesses are hesitant to speak about the incident to police or media due to fear of retaliation. Last year, they say the witness of a deadly shooting was murdered just days before his home burned down. 

Police are still investigating Sterling's death.