A North Philly man, upset that he failed a promotional test at FedEx, ambushed and killed the instructor, DA says
After fleeing the scene of the murder, Keith Blount engaged Philadelphia Police officers in a gun battle, prosecutors said.
A North Philadelphia man, disgruntled at being denied a promotion at FedEx, ambushed and killed the instructor who made the decision not to promote him, prosecutors in Delaware County said Tuesday.
Keith Blount, 59, was charged with murder, aggravated assault, and gun crimes in the death earlier this month of Bartholomew “Bart” Masciulli, a 38-year employee of FedEx and a father of three.
Blount also faces several counts of assault of a law enforcement officer for engaging Philadelphia police in a gun battle hours after killing Masciulli, during which prosecutors say he fired at the officers who had spotted his car near his home in North Philadelphia. Blount fired his 9mm Sig Sauer pistol, the same gun investigators believe he used to kill Masciulli, until it was empty, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.
He was unable to legally possess a gun because of previous felony convictions for robbery, assault, and carrying illegal guns, court records show.
» READ MORE: Police shoot man during gun battle in North Philadelphia; suspect allegedly killed FedEx worker few hours earlier
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, whose office will prosecute Blount in the murder as well as the attack on the city officers, said Tuesday that Blount’s behavior was reprehensible.
“When the defendant did not receive a positive evaluation, he decided to retaliate in the worst way possible,” Stollsteimer said. “In committing this senseless act, he has forever deprived a family of their loved one, and he has shaken the community to its core.”
Blount’s attorney, Christopher Welsh, did not return a request for comment.
Police in Tinicum Township were called to FedEx’s facility in Cargo City, a secure area attached to Philadelphia International Airport, just after 2 p.m. on Oct. 7, according to the affidavit. There, they found Masciulli shot multiple times inside his Jeep Patriot, which had been parked in an employee lot.
Surveillance footage from the scene showed Blount arriving at the employee parking hours earlier, seemingly waiting for Masciulli, the affidavit said. He sat in his car, parked nearby, until Masciulli got into the Jeep to leave.
Witnesses told investigators they saw Blount waiting in the parking lot before the shooting. One thought this was odd: Blount was assigned to FedEx’s facility in Linwood, and usually did not have business at the airport.
Others said they saw Blount approach Masciulli’s Jeep as Mascuilli was preparing to leave the lot, the affidavit said. Blount walked up to the driver’s side window, spoke briefly with Masciulli, then stepped back and raised a handgun, firing five times, according to the document. Blount then fled the scene, the affidavit said, speeding away in his Honda sedan.
Records from FedEx showed that Blount had recently taken an exam to become a driver for FedEx, a test administered by Masciulli, the affidavit said. Blount completed the class on Sept. 2 but failed the test.
On the day of the shooting, Tinicum Township police put out an alert to surrounding departments, including information on Blount’s Honda. When officers in Philadelphia discovered the car and approached Blount, he immediately opened fire, causing them to take cover behind a nearby truck, the affidavit said.
The officers fired back, striking Blount multiple times. They were able to disarm him as he lay injured on the ground.
Blount was taken to Temple University Hospital for treatment and was recently discharged and transferred to Curran Fromhold Correctional Facility, awaiting transfer to the George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Delaware County.
In an online fundraiser, a longtime family friend of Masciulli’s described him as a loving father who had recently been caring for his wife, out on disability for an unspecified illness.