CHICAGO – A vehicle suspected to be involved in the fatal shooting of a United States Postal Service letter carrier was found burned in Chicago’s South Side, authorities revealed Saturday. The white Dodge Durango was located on South Holland Road, igniting a major investigation into the brazen daylight attack that occurred the day prior.
On Friday, around 11:38 a.m., Octavia Redmond, a 48-year-old postal worker, was delivering mail on South Harvard Street when she was approached by an unidentified male. The assailant drew a firearm and shot her multiple times before fleeing the scene in the aforementioned vehicle. Redmond, critically wounded, was quickly transported to Christ Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
The Cook County Medical Examiner confirmed the identity of the victim as Redmond, a resident of Chicago’s West Pullman neighborhood.
Local law enforcement is considering the possibility that this attack was targeted, citing the circumstances of the shooting. Immediate witnesses, including a neighbor who heard the gunfire, reported the distressing scene. This neighbor, who had just received mail from Redmond, recounted hearing multiple gunshots before seeing the carrier on the ground.
Sources indicated that the assailant pursued Redmond, shot her, and left her right in front of a residence, with all of her belongings found scattered around her. The nature and execution of the crime suggest that this was not a robbery.
Redmond, remembered by her community as a dedicated mother, wife, and an avid cook, had been a letter carrier for over five years. Her sudden death follows a troubling trend of attacks on postal workers both in Chicago and nationwide.
In the aftermath, Chicago detectives and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) have been actively collecting evidence, including surveillance footage from Ring doorbell cameras in the vicinity. The aim is to piece together the events leading to this tragic incident and identify the assailant.
Elise Foster, President of the local National Letter Carriers Association (NALC) Branch 11, expressed her grief in a social media post, lamenting the loss of a colleague who would never return home to her family. At a national level, Brian L. Renfroe, President of the NALC, echoed this sentiment, underscoring the loss felt by the 280,000 postal workers across the country.
Renfroe also highlighted legislative efforts underway aimed at protecting postal workers, specifically citing the introduction of the “Protect Our Letter Carriers Act.” This bill seeks to deter such crimes and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.
The recent episode aligns unsettlingly with another incident where a letter carrier was robbed in the Bronzeville area, captured on camera. In response to these series of attacks, the USPIS has offered up to $250,000 as a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Redmond’s murder. The community and law enforcement are urging anyone with credible information to come forward, assuring confidentiality to all tipsters.
Investigations continue as detectives and the USPIS delve deeper into the case, hopeful for leads that could bring justice to Redmond’s bereaved family and a concerned community.