The Baltimore County Police Department on Tuesday identified the 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed in Reisterstown as Nester Nunez.

Police were called to the 200 block of Hammershire Road — a residential area — just before 6:30 a.m. Sunday, officials said. The victim was located outdoors and was dead by the time officers arrived, police said Monday morning.

The initial report was for an unconscious person, police said. Nunez was shot multiple times.

Police are asking anyone with information to call 410-307-2020. They have not identified a suspect.

Some people who live in the area said it was generally quiet and safe.

“I was devastated because I just can’t conceptualize a person taking somebody’s life out on the street in the middle of the night in our neighborhood,” one neighbor, who didn’t want to be identified, told WJZ.

Another teenager who said she grew up with Nunez, Christal Paguada, believes he was walking home from work at a restaurant job when the killing happened near her home.

“He always lit up a room anywhere he came into,” Paguada told WJZ. “When we found out we were, we were in shock. A respectable guy with a good heart.”

Councilman Julian Jones, who represents the area, said it was sad a young personlost their life “to a senseless act of violence” like this.

“I pray for the family and I hope they [police] catch the perpetrator and bring him to justice,” Jones said.

There were seven homicides in Baltimore County in the first four months of the year, according to the most recent data. In that same time period in 2023, there were seven cases; in that period in 2022, 11 cases; and in that span in 2021, 20 cases, according to Baltimore County’s online crime dashboard.

There were 29 homicide cases in the county in all of 2023.

Since January 2021, the most homicides occurred in the region around Essex. About 1 in 10 homicides occur there.

Metro Crime Stoppers is also offering a cash reward of up to $2,000 for information provided by phone or online. Their phone number is 1-866-756-2587.

WJZ’s Tara Lynch contributed to this story. WJZ is a media partner of The Baltimore Banner.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct homicide counts through April 30 in each prior year.