A Chicago postal worker with the United States Postal Service (USPS) was critically shot on Thursday while she was out delivering mails. The 24-year-old woman was hit by shots fired from multiple vehicles driving by at high speed in the Burnside neighborhood on the city's South Side. The victim is critically wounded after suffering multiple shots including one in her head and is fighting for her life in a city hospital, authorities said.
Police have launched an investigation and initial reports suggest that she may not have been the intended target. The news comes at a time when Chicago has been experiencing a spike in gun violence and crime rate and has been drawing criticism from different quarters.
Shot for No Reason
According to Chicago police, the postal carrier was delivering mail in the 9100 block of South Ellis Avenue around 11.38 am when gunfire erupted from inside at least two vehicles speeding past. The woman, who works at the Grand Crossing Post Office at 7715 S. Cottage Grove Avenue, was struck in each leg and in the back of her head, police said. One gunshot entered her back and ricocheted to her abdomen, CPD spokeswoman Karie James said.
The woman immediately collapsed on the ground. However, paramedics soon arrived and she was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she is receiving treatment. Police said that she remains in extremely critical condition and is fighting for her life as one of the bullets pierced the back of her head.
Suspects at Large
Chicago police have launched an investigation into the incident but is yet to make any arrests. However, investigators believe she was not the intended target, James said. The US Postal Inspection Service spokeswoman Sylvia Carrier confirmed the woman was an on-duty USPS employee. The USPIS is also offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.
Officers said she had been wearing her full uniform when the shooting took place and video footage from the scene appears to show her mailbag on the ground outside the gate of a home. Soon after the shootout, coworkers started reaching the scene in tears.
This, though, isn't the first such shooting of a USPS employee in Chicago. The woman is the second USPS worker shot in Chicago this year. In March, a 47-year-old USPS employee was shot in the cheek as he delivered mail on the Southwest side. The incident also marks a violent Labor Day weekend in Chicago that witnessed a spate of shootings. At least eight people were shot in Chicago over the weekend with an eight-year-old girl killed inside a parked car on Monday.
