Armored car guard shot to death in Atlanta
Source IBSRSS
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. --
DeKalb County Police Wednesday afternoon identified the victim of an armored car shooting as Gary Castillo, 32, of Lawrenceville.
Castillo’s family members told CBS Atlanta Castillo served in the National Guard for three years, returning from Afghanistan last May. He leaves behind a wife and son.
According to FBI Special Agent Stephen Emmett, Castillo was shot three times around noon Tuesday as he left Kroger at the Toco Hills Shopping Center in DeKalb County. A second courier, still in the armored car, remained uninjured.
Wednesday the FBI worked several leads, but there had been no arrests. DeKalb County police maintained a strong presence around the shopping center.
The FBI is looking for two suspects, the shooter and a getaway driver.
“There is no provocation; there is no mercy,” said Emmett who described the suspects as “ruthless”.
It was not disclosed how much cash was taken.
Authorities recovered the getaway car less than a quarter-of-a-mile away, abandoned in a neighborhood. The car was taken during a carjacking in Snellville Monday.
Customers said they would be more alert the next time they were out shopping.
"I definitely will think twice before walking into a Kroger if there's an armored truck outside, probably pick another grocery store. I don’t want anything to happen to me, I don’t think anyone does," Kate Shinberg, a shopper, said.
"One of my friends said she saw one of the assailants. Knowing that people here do know what they look like, I think we are going to need more security out here," Kroger employee Keylum Young said.
Garda is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the robbery and for the recovery of the stolen funds. Crimestoppers is offering a $5,000 reward.
Investigators believe the violent armed robbery is connected to the following Atlanta area armored car robberies:
- January 21, 2011, at approximately 9:00 a.m., two couriers for the Loomis Armor Car were servicing an ATM located at a Wells Fargo bank, 4798 Redan Road, Stone Mountain.
- December 7, 2010, at approximately 11:15 a.m., two couriers for Dunbar Armored Car were inside the Mall of Georgia, Gwinnett County, servicing an ATM.
- November 29, 2010, at approximately 9:00 a.m., a courier for a Loomis Armored Car was robbed at gunpoint while servicing an ATM at the Wells Fargo Bank, located at 3520 Centerville Highway, Snellville.
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