It was a more somber tone at the Baltimore Farmers’ Market this week. Patrons stopped in their tracks, seeing the flowers, guest book and display honoring Michael A. Shores, who operated the Beef Barons stall, usually set up in that exact spot Sundays under the Jones Falls Expressway.
The longtime pit beef vendor was found shot dead in his burning Pennsylvania home a week ago.
“We will miss Mike’s easy smile, affable manner, his booming baritone voice and strong bear hugs, his honest laugh, the twinkle in his eye sometimes so reminiscent of uncle Steve, and his big, big heart,” read the tribute from the Shores family.
Shores “stayed true to the craft” of pit beef while trying new menu items such as his own sauce and adding fresh-cut french fries to the menu, the tribute said.
Shores, 54, and Jennifer Troch, 41, were pulled from a burning home on North Main Street in Stewartstown, Pa., early on the morning of Aug. 3, according to authorities in York County. They were pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after.
Both died of gunshot wounds to their heads, according to the York County Coroner’s Office. The manner of death is being investigated.
Shores and Troch lived in a building that was once a public library, and their deaths have rattled the small town of Stewartstown, the York Daily Record reported.
The Southern Regional Police Department said it had received “community concerns” about the incident. “Preliminary findings suggest that this incident is isolated and linked to activities within the residents, posing no broader threat to the community,” the department said on Thursday.
The Southern Regional Police Department couldn’t be reached for further comment Sunday. The incident is being investigated by the department, the county coroner and fire marshals with the Pennsylvania State Police.
Two firefighters were injured fighting the blaze, according to the Shrewsbury Volunteer Fire Co.
Shores was a graduate of Kennard-Dale High School in Fawn Grove, Pa. He is survived by his parents, a sister and two daughters, according to the family.
“He especially enjoyed spending time outdoors with his children, sharing countless adventures and creating lasting memories,” reads his obituary.
Troch, meanwhile, was known as “Jen” or “Jen-Jen” and was raised in Baltimore County’s Hereford zone, according to her obituary. She is survived by her three daughters, her parents, sister and brother.
Troch’s obituary described her as “a compassionate caregiver in her work serving patients across Pennsylvania and Maryland with kindness and dedication.”
Baltimore Banner journalists Julie Bykowicz, Jerry Jackson and Emma Patti contributed to this report.
This article has been corrected to describe Beef Barons as a pit beef business.
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