Postal worker fatally shot in front of Chicago residence: Officials

(CHICAGO) — A postal worker was fatally shot in front of a residence in Chicago on Friday, officials said.

The gunman approached the victim and fired multiple times before fleeing in a vehicle, police said.

The National Association of Letter Carriers identified the postal worker as 48-year-old Octavia Redmond. She had been a letter carrier for five years, the group said.

“NALC (National Association of Letter Carriers) is heartbroken by the murder of Octavia Redmond, our sister from Chicago, IL Branch 11,” read a statement from the NALC released on Friday. “Today, Sister Redmond was shot multiple times on her route and was taken to the hospital, where she died. The perpetrator is still at large.”

Redmond was in front of a residence when “an unknown male offender approached” her and fired shots before fleeing in vehicle, Chicago Police Department Office of Communications said in a statement on Saturday

The shooting occurred on the city’s South Side in the West Pullman neighborhood around 11:38 a.m. CT, according to police.

The victim sustained “multiple gunshot wounds” and was transported to an area hospital, where she died, police said.

No one is in custody in connection with the shooting, police said.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service Chicago Division is offering a reward up to $250,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects.

“Like me, the members of NALC are outraged by this senseless act of violence that took an innocent woman’s life. For far too long, violent crime against letter carriers has been on the rise. Shockingly, now it is not uncommon for letter carriers to be targeted, assaulted, and even murdered. This is completely unacceptable, and we need immediate change,” read the NALC statement. “Every American deserves to go to work without fear and return home safely to their families. We will not stop fighting until this is a reality for all letter carriers.”