CHICAGO, IL – A postal worker was fatally shot while on duty in Chicago’s South Side on Friday, according to local officials. The incident occurred just before 11:40 a.m. in the West Pullman neighborhood on South Harvard Avenue.
Witnesses, preferring to remain anonymous, saw a car approaching the victim’s USPS truck before hearing at least ten gunshots. The suspect, described only as male, approached 48-year-old Octavia Redmond, brandished a firearm, and fired several shots, leaving her with multiple gunshot wounds.
Redmond was immediately taken to Christ Hospital in a critical condition, where she was later pronounced dead. Octavia Redmond had served as a postal worker for over 15 years.
In response to the tragic incident, a flag was flown at half-staff outside a South Side union hall. Redmond was not only a beloved postal worker but also a wife and grandmother.
The crime has left her colleagues shaken. Elise Foster, National Association of Letter Carriers President, called for the perpetrator’s prosecution and expressed the fear postal workers now face.
Local residents were likewise disturbed by the incident. Kim Sanders, who resides along Redmond’s route, spoke of the disbelief and grief that the usually peaceful neighborhood is experiencing.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has offered a reward of up to $250,000 for any relevant information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the shooter. As of Friday night, the motive remains unknown, and the suspect is still at large.