Who was Karen Baker? Woman, 48, killed during robbery attempt while withdrawing money from ATM
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: A woman was shot and killed during a robbery attempt in the wee hours of Wednesday, July 13. Karen Lynn Gaskill Baker, 48, was at an ATM in 9600 block of University City Boulevard, to withdraw cash when a suspect shot and killed her. According to her son, William McClure, Baker wanted the cash to assist her father-in-law with a payment.
According to police, the suspect drove off from the scene in a black, 2011 or 2012 Dodge Charger with factory rims. On Thursday, authorities unveiled fresh photos of one of the Baker murder suspects and the getaway car. A $5,000 reward is being offered by CMPD for information regarding the suspects.
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Who was Karen Baker?
48-year-old Baker is the mother of three children and is also a grandmother. Michael, one of Baker's three sons, said during a press conference on Thursday, "At the end of the day, what hurts most is there's not one d*** thing I can do to bring my mom back. So I'm asking you guys, if anybody [can] reach out to these detectives and police department and give them any information that y'all can, my family would appreciate it more than anybody would ever know."
Michael told reporters that his family hails from a "small town," as opposed to Charlotte, the biggest city in North Carolina. Michael remarked that Baker's recovery from losing one of her sons five years prior had been "tough." He added that his mother "brought something to Charlotte that Charlotte ain't ever seen before. Back home, it was a small town. [There weren't any] gangs. The only gangs we had back home were gangs of chicken and cattle. But what my mom brought to Charlotte … it didn't matter whether you were having a bad day, good day — she was the type of person to make you feel better no matter what you were going through." He continued by saying he has "faith" that CMPD police will find the person responsible for his mother's murder.
Following her passing, Baker's family gave a statement to Fox 46 Charlotte in which they praised her as "one of the strongest, most loving, caring people you could ever meet. She was loved by [armies]. She would move mountains for a stranger. She was one in a billion." Anyone with information on the case is asked to call 704-432-TIP, according to the authorities.
Baker's murder is the latest in gun violence cases in the Charlotte area. Hers was at least the 57th homicide in Mecklenburg County this year, according to a count by the Charlotte Observer, and since Baker, there have been at least six more cases in the following week, including another homicide a few streets away. Homicides have increased by 21% this year, from 52 cases last year to 63 so far in 2022.