Female USPS worker, 24, in critical condition after being shot 4 times in Chicago while on the job
Chicago postal service employee shot four times in a drive-by shooting.
- A female USPS worker was critically wounded by stray gunfire in Chicago on Thursday.
- Officers believe she was not the intended target.
- Chicago Division Postal Inspectors are investigating the case.
The female USPS worker, 24, was hit by shots fired in apparent stray gunfire on Thursday morning, around 11:38 am, Daily Mail reports. At the time, the woman was delivering mail along her route in the Burnside neighborhood on the city’s South Side. The shots wounded her in the back of both legs, the stomach, and the back of her head. She is currently in a critical condition at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Witnesses, backed up by the Chicago Fire Department, confirmed to CBS that the woman was indeed a mail carrier. They said she started going on that specific route about a month ago.
At 92nd & S Ellis Ave where @Chicago_Police tell me a female mail carrier was shot multiple times.
Officer on scene says she was on the job, in full uniform when shot. Bag appears to be on ground in front of home. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/YxjZ4hiuyo
— Steven Graves (@StevenGravesTV) September 10, 2020
At the time of the shooting, the postal employee was wearing her full uniform. As other mail workers visited the shooting place and burst into tears for their fellow colleague, her manager claimed she worked at Grand Crossing Branch.
Footage from the scene reveals she was also carrying her mailbag which was dropped on the ground outside the gate of a home.
According to police, the victim does not appear to be the intended target.
Currently, the US Postal Inspection Service – Chicago Division is conducting an ongoing investigation. A spokesperson verified:
“Chicago Division Postal Inspectors have responded to a reported shooting in the 9100 block of South Ellis Avenue in Chicago, IL. We are in the initial stages of the investigation, and we are unable to comment further at this time.”
As per the Chicago Tribune, this is the second case of a USPS worker shot in Chicago this year. The first one was in March when a 47-year-old postal employee was shot in the cheek as he delivered mail on the Southwest Side, and a 21-year-old man was shot in the right thigh. Both were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital and were later released in good condition.
