Attempted Murder Of Mailman Nets Elk Grove Man 16 Years In Prison

CHICAGO —An Elk Grove Village man has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for trying to kill a postal carrier on New Year’s Eve 2018.

Cameron Ruebusch is accused of shooting a U.S. Postal Service carrier on Dec. 31, 2018, in Elk Grove Village. The mail carrier had recently completed a delivery in the 200 block of West Brantwood Avenue when Ruebusch approached the USPS vehicle and tapped on the front passenger side door, according to court documents. The mail carrier attempted to drive away as Ruebusch fired multiple shots from a handgun. The mail carrier was wounded but survived.

Ruebusch, 25, pleaded guilty last year to one count of attempted second-degree murder of an employee of the United States, and one count of knowingly discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. In handing down the sentence on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly found that Ruebusch obstructed justice after the shooting by disposing of the gun, discarding the clothing he had been wearing, and instructing friends to lie to law enforcement about his whereabouts, according to a release.

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The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and William Hedrick, Inspector-in-Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago. The Elk Grove Village Police Department provided substantial assistance, according to the release.

“The seriousness of defendant’s crime cannot be overstated — he nearly killed a USPS mail carrier who was merely carrying out his official duties in delivering mail on New Year’s Eve,” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Chester Choi argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Defendant’s actions were brazen, callous, and cowardly, and demonstrated a complete disrespect for the law.”