Trib offers $5,000 reward in delivery driver's shooting death

Trib Total Media is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any suspects in the shooting death of Gregory Lee Smith.

Smith, 69, of New Kensington was shot and killed while he was out on his route delivering the Trib about 3 a.m. May 23 in the area of Catalpa Street and Kenneth Avenue in New Kensington.

He was shot once in the head. His death was ruled a homicide.

“Our goal is to help his family find justice,” Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto said. “He was just trying to do his job of delivering newspapers and was senselessly gunned down. We want to make sure the authorities identify who was responsible for this.”

On Tuesday, New Kensington police Chief Bob Deringer said the shooting remains under investigation.

“My detective goes out every day, trying to interview people,” he said. “We have absolutely no new updates. We have no idea what the motive was.”

No surveillance video has turned up anywhere. Deringer said he hopes the reward helps.

“We seem to be hitting dead ends at this point in time,” he said. “We’re going to need the public’s help on this one.”

Smith, an Army veteran, started delivering the Tribune-Review on May 15 as an independent contractor. He also worked as an independent carrier for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for more than 18 years.

Police believe Smith had been shot at Catalpa Street and Kenneth Avenue. His car continued south and crashed into a fence in the 1200 block of Kenneth Avenue.

Smith, who had been alone in his car, was unconscious and bleeding severely from the head. He died at the scene.