Family of Malik Baker, killed in Baltimore County gas station ambush, pleads for justice

BALTIMORE -- Malik Baker was gunned down at a gas station in Parkville early Sunday morning. Now, for the first time, the 24-year-old's heartbroken family is speaking about the brutal attack.

"Malik was awesome. He was a brother, a son, a friend, a godson. He was lovable," said Baker's godmother Niquita Gilliam, who spoke on behalf of his mother. "To get the news was definitely devastating."

Gilliam recalled her godson's positive attitude and big smile. 

"You could see all his teeth when he smiled. That was him. All the time. He always had a smile on his face."

Surveillance video obtained by WJZ shows the chilling crime as it unfolded just after 12:30 a.m. Malik was making a payment at an outside window at the Exxon on McClean Boulevard in Parkville when two men approached him from behind.

They attacked him as he was trying to get into his SUV and shot him after a brief struggle. 

The suspects ran away to a waiting Honda Accord with temporary tags. 

"I don't want to watch it," Gilliam said of the surveillance video. "I don't want to see that and have that image of that stuck in my mind." 

The brutal killing remains unsolved, and Malik's loved ones are still waiting for justice. 

"He's more than just a homicide number, and I think that the slightest information—if someone knows something—could help this case," Gilliam said. "We should all be able to go wherever and make it home safely and not be targeted, not be killed, not be bothered."

Baltimore County has seen at least four shootings since Saturday including one that injured a man in Catonsville on Frederick Road and Poplar Avenue early Tuesday morning. 

Another shooting late Monday injured a man in the 3400-block of Carriage Hill Circle in Randallstown. 

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski responded to concerns about crime in the county. 

"Our homicide rate, despite the unfortunate events of this past weekend, is still down about 50% over the year," Olszewski said. "Baltimore County remains an incredibly safe place to live, work and raise a family."

He said the police department is supported with "significant investments." 

"If they commit a crime, especially a violent crime in Baltimore County, we will find you, we will arrest you, we will hold you accountable," Olszewski said. 

The Baltimore County police union told Hellgren their major concern is a shortage of officers. The union said the department is short 202 sworn officers. 

"I've never seen anything like this. I've served Baltimore County for over 35 years, and there's never been a vacancy rate this high," said Baltimore County police union president Dave Folderauer. "It boils down to leadership. The morale is at an all-time low with the Baltimore County police officers, the rank-and-file, my members. They're having a hard time feeling supported right now with everything that's going on."

Baltimore County police issued a statement in response to Folderauer's allegations. 

"The Baltimore County Police Department continues to utilize data driven strategies, including focused deployment plans, to keep Baltimore County safe," the statement reads. "As a larger department, we have the ability to re-allocate our resources as needed to address emerging trends and patterns in real time.  Working in partnership with the community, members of the Baltimore County Police Department have successfully driven down the number of homicides by almost fifty percent compared to last year.  As we work to keep pace with attrition, our recruitment efforts this year have allowed us, for the first time in over two decades, to schedule a third entrance level academy class."

If you know anything about Baker's killing or any of the recent shootings, you can contact police at 410-307-2020 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-Lockup.

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• Baltimore County Police Department
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• Baltimore County