Shooting That Killed ATM Repair Worker Ken Gerstley Unrelated To Other ATM Robberies, Baltimore Police Say
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A man servicing an ATM in west Baltimore this weekend was shot and killed outside a convenience store.
Police said robbery was the motive, but detectives say they don't believe it is related to a series of ATM thefts across the city spanning more than a year.
The dispatch came out around 11 a.m. Saturday morning. A man was shot on Brighton Street in west Baltimore's Rosemont neighborhood.
READ MORE: Kenneth Gerstley Fatally Shot In Baltimore Friday Morning; Robbery Suspected, Police Say
"I normally come to the store every day and the whole street was blocked off. I knew someone had probably been murdered," said passerby Mr. Massenburg.
The victim, 58-year-old Ken Gerstley, was in the area filling up an ATM.
"I mean, I've known him a long time. I mean, he's a real, real nice guy," said Michael Ghebru, convenience store owner.
Ghebru showed WJZ the ATM that Gerstley had just finished servicing.
"It just kind of rubbed me the wrong way, because, again, it's just a regular person, every day working a 9-5, going about his day, ain't out here making no noise," Massenburg said.
The murder comes amid a spree of ATM robberies in the city, mostly in southwest Baltimore. Detectives don't believe Gerstley's murder is related to those robberies.
They released pictures of this dark SUV they said the shooter drove away in.
I just don't get the idea of killing someone, you feel me. I just don't get it, especially someone servicing an ATM machine," Massenburg said.
In a statement, Gerstley's wife called Ken "a true gentleman and a big teddy bear,"
"I don't know what to make of it, actually, because it doesn't make sense nowadays. It's senseless," Massenburg said.
The Gerstleys said Ken was "an exceptional human being, always ready to help with a smile and a hug,"
If you have any information about his murder or that dark SUV, you're urged to contact city police.
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