A North Carolina mother is dead after she was robbed and gunned down at an ATM earlier this week, WBTV reports.
Around 5:45 a.m. Wednesday, 48-year-old Karen Baker was shot at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Charlotte. Investigators believe that a stranger randomly targeted Baker, who was withdrawing money from the ATM at the time, according to Fox 46.
It is not clear how authorities became aware of the incident, but police were called for a report of an assault with a deadly weapon with an injury. Officers arrived to find Baker with a gunshot wound, and she was later pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooting occurred on University City Boulevard near Old Concord Road, which WBTV described as a busy roadway. The shopping center has a security guard that works on the premises several times per week, but none were staffed when the shooting occurred.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are in the process of examining security camera footage. Authorities have not said whether they have identified or arrested any suspects.
During a news conference on Thursday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Major Brian Foley expressed outrage at Baker’s death.
“It’s heinous, it is disgusting, and it pains me to have to come up and stand here in front of people and talk about that. But we want to find justice, we want to find people that killed this poor woman,” Baker said.
Grieving family members come by the spot in University City where their loved one was killed, a man tells me his mother was just getting money out of the ATM when someone shot and killed her early this morning, FULL STORY HERE @Queen_City_News @BrianFox46 https://t.co/bMnEVEZUwk pic.twitter.com/HW0LBHsT2r
— Robin Kanady (@RobinKanady) July 13, 2022
Baker was a mother of four, with three sons, one daughter, and three grandchildren. Her loved ones are mourning her loss.
“My mom was one in a million. She was a victim of a senseless evil,” Baker’s son, Will McClure, told the Charlotte Observer.
In an interview with WBTV, Baker’s niece said her aunt “was an amazing woman, she inspired so many people and was a beautiful soul. She was the last person I know that deserved this.”
“She would have given anyone the shirt off her back. And I’m sure she would have given the horrible person that shot her anything she had. Because her heart was pure gold! She was the most incredible person I knew.”
Larry Wright, who manages the nearby Asian Market, said he is working on ways to bolster the safety of his staff when they are at work in light of the tragedy.
“I do worry about their safety,” Wright told WBTV. “I don’t know if we can take extra measures to see if we can have security on the premises on a regular basis, but it will definitely be addressed.”
WBTV also spoke with Charles Rhodes, a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer, who was picking up dry cleaning near the crime scene just hours after the killing.
Rhodes said he was dismayed but not surprised at what happened.
“It’s very disheartening to know that people can’t take care of their everyday tasks without being in danger of losing their life doing so,” Rhodes said.
To report information about the case, call the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department at 704-432-TIPS and ask to speak with a homicide detective.
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[Featured image: Karen Baker/Handout]
