An 80-year-old Linthicum man was shot to death yesterday in an apparent robbery attempt at the Dundalk liquor store he had owned for decades.
Angelo Coliano, known affectionately as "Angie" by neighborhood residents, was found lying in front of his store, Try-It Liquors, in the 200 block of Wise Ave. Police said he had been shot in the chest and also had a head injury.
"Apparently, he was shot inside the store," said Cpl. Kevin B. Novak, a Baltimore County police spokesman.
"He was able to make his way outside and collapsed in front of the store. A potential customer pulled into the driveway and noticed him lying on the sidewalk," Corporal Novak said.
Police said they had no suspects and no witnesses to the slaying.
"Dundalk is really not a high-risk area," said Patricia Winter, executive director of the Eastern Baltimore Area Chamber of Commerce. She said she could not remember the last robbery-murder there.
Police arrived about noon to find firefighters from the Wise Avenue Volunteer Fire Co., which is across the street from Try-It Liquors, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Mr. Coliano, Corporal Novak said. He was pronounced dead at 12:45 p.m. at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Police said they could not immediately determine whether the head injury resulted from a gunshot wound.
Police said Mr. Coliano kept a gun in his store, but Corporal Novak was unable to say whether he had attempted to use the weapon to defend himself. Police also did not know whether anything was taken in the apparent holdup, he said.
Neighborhood residents watching as police combed the bloody scene for evidence expressed anger over the crime. They described Mr. Coliano, a widower, as a "good old bird" who had owned the liquor store for as long as 30 years.
Police were trying to find Mr. Coliano's relatives last night. Efforts to reach family members at his home in the 700 block of Greentree Road in Linthicum, where a neighbor said Mr. Coliano had lived for 36 years, were unsuccessful.
"He was a nice guy," said Virgil Perseghin, a Dundalk resident who frequented the store.
"He always had a kind word for you. I told him to retire and close up the store. He said he didn't need the business but kept it just to keep himself occupied."
Many residents who walked to the store to make purchases were shocked to find police cars lined up outside and yellow tape blocking off the area. They said murders were unusual in the neighborhood.