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Father, son found dead in burned Glendale Heights condo had gunshot wounds

A father and son found dead last week inside a Glendale Heights condominium building damaged by a fire died of gunshot wounds to their heads, authorities announced Thursday.

DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen said the gunshots are the provisional causes of death for Shafath Khan, 46, and his 4-year-old son, Salman. Their bodies were recovered Aug. 24 after an explosion and fire at the Waters Edge condo complex.

Jorgensen is waiting for results of toxicology and tissue pathology studies to make a final ruling on the causes of death.

Autopsies of both showed their bodies were charred. Salman Khan also had a low level of carbon monoxide in his blood, according to a news release from Jorgensen.

Three Glendale Heights police officers were able to carry a 6-year-old child out to safety but weren't able to re-enter the unit because of high heat and heavy smoke. They then helped other residents of the three-story condominium building escape.

"The preliminary autopsy results reveal that both of those who died in the apartment would not have been saved by further heroic efforts," Jorgensen said.

The explosion and fire is still under investigation by Glendale Heights police, the Bloomingdale Fire Protection District, the coroner, the state's attorney's office and the DuPage County Fire Investigation Task Force.

Police and firefighters responded around 10 a.m. to the scene on the 100 block of South Waters Edge Drive. According to police, officers witnessed an explosion followed by a fire.

The 6-year-old was treated and released from a hospital. The officers also were treated for minor injuries.

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