Police still probing newspaper carrier’s slaying
Army veteran was shot to death on his route
Army veteran Gregory L. Smith was known to keep to himself. But his sister, Mary Spekis, saw a playful side to him when he was with his great-nieces and -nephews.
“He had a childlike heart,” Ms. Spekis, of Lower Burrell, said. “He could just get down on the floor and play with the little ones, the small kids, just 2, 3 years old, and just actually get into playing with them and occupying their time.
“I just wish he would have enjoyed his life a little bit more,” Ms. Spekis said.
For 18 years following his Army career, Mr. Smith, of New Kensington, was an independent carrier for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He also started as an independent contractor in mid-May for Trib Total Media.
On May 23, Mr. Smith was delivering newspapers when he was shot around 3:05 a.m. in the 1200 block of Kenneth Avenue in New Kensington, and police pronounced him dead at the scene. Mr. Smith was 69 years old. Police have not yet identified any suspects in the shooting.
When Ms. Spekis received a call from the coroner, she said she initially thought, “ugh why are you still delivering those papers?” But she knew he loved his job, as it kept him busy.
“I was just really caught off guard from it all,” Ms. Spekis said. “It’s a really, really sad situation.”
New Kensington police Chief Robert Deringer wrote in an email that there are no new leads in the investigation.
“We are still very actively investigating any and all leads that we are finding/developing, but so far nothing is panning out,” Chief Deringer said.
Born and raised in New Kensington, Mr. Smith lived in the area until he joined the Army, including service during the Vietnam War, and retired with the rank of sergeant. Mr. Smith was buried on May 29 with full military honors in Union cemetery in Arnold.
His dedication had been ingrained in him since he was a child. Ms. Spekis said she always will remember how her mother, who owned a beauty shop, kept her children busy by working. Their mother had a piece of property in Butler County, where Mr. Smith cut grass that was the same height as him with a sickle. He also would help fix houses with his father.
“Always put us to work, at a young age,” Ms. Spekis said. “Taught us that everything you get you gotta work for.”
Outside of work and family, Mr. Smith was a member of the Lighthouse Ministries Mission in Arnold.
On May 28, Trib Total Media offered a “$5,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.”
Despite the middle-of-the-night shifts, Mr. Smith loved his job delivering papers.
“People would ask him when he was going to retire and he would just give him that smile and keep on going,” Ms. Spekis said.
During the ceremony, Ms. Spekis said several people approached her with fond stories about his reliable service and random acts of kindness, including one woman who told her how he had changed her tire after noticing she had a flat.
“I was amazed at how many people came forward telling me all different stories about the kindness he showed towards them,” Ms. Spekis said.
Michael Flannigan, circulation manager for the Post-Gazette, said he worked with Mr. Smith for about five of Mr. Smith’s 18 years with the newspaper.
Mr. Flannigan said he would joke about how he didn’t want to ever replace him because Mr. Smith always went “above and beyond” for customers, even interrupting his scheduled route to deliver to a customer outside of the route who wanted a paper at a certain time in the morning.
Although Mr. Flannigan said he didn’t often have time to sit down and talk to Mr. Smith, who would get in around 2 a.m. and leave for his route quickly, they usually discussed how the Pirates were doing and how the team could improve.
Mr. Flannigan said Mr. Smith was an employee he never had to worry about.
“He knew the area so well you didn’t think anything like this would happen,” Mr. Flannigan said. “It just shouldn’t have happened to him. He was a very nice person.”