3 Facing Charges After U.S. Postal Worker Killed In Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE, WI — Three people are now facing federal charges in connection with the fatal shooting of U.S. Postal Service employee Aundre Cross in Milwaukee, a United States attorney announced Thursday.

The letter carrier was on-duty when he was killed on Dec. 9, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad of the Eastern District of Wisconsin. It happened around 4:38 p.m. that day around the 5000 block of North 65th Street, a criminal complaint said. Surveillance footage showed that someone approached the mail carrier from behind before a gunshot could be heard, according to the complaint.

Milwaukee residents Kevin McCaa, 36, and Charles Ducksworth Jr, 26, now both face charges of murder or abetting the murder of a USPS letter carrier and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, according to a federal complaint. Further, 34-year-old Shanelle McCoy, also of Milwaukee, faces of charge of providing materially false statements to law enforcement investigating the letter carrier's death, according to the news release from Haanstad.

If McCaa and Ducksworth Jr. are convicted of either charge they could face up to life in prison. McCoy could face up to 8 years in prison if she is convicted.

Ducksworth Jr. also face charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, Haanstad said. Meanwhile, McCaa also faces a charge of felon in possession of ammunition, the news release said.

According to the complaint, video footage showed the suspect vehicle "conducting surveillance" on the mail carrier as he was working for at least 30 minutes before the shooting. Investigators said they managed to link a silver Audi Q5 SUV that was registered to McCoy to the shooting and officers eventually found the vehicle in Grantosa after the homicide. Investigators said they found the car with its front and back license plates on the wrong side so the registration sticker was on the front, while earlier footage showed the plates in different orientations.

According to the complaint, McCaa and Ducksworth Jr. were also investigated for suspected drug-laden parcels sent through USPS. Records from the postal service showed that Cross had scanned one such parcel, but marked it as "delivery attempted - no access to delivery location" before his death, according to the complaint.

"I am proud of the hard work of all the agencies involved. We are one step closer to bringing these individuals to justice. I and the entire Milwaukee Police Department send our sincere condolences to the Cross family and to the USPS for their loss.” said Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman in the release.

Read the full federal criminal complaint:

“These arrests should make very clear to criminals everywhere that the Postal Inspection Service will not rest when it comes to solving attacks like this,” said Chicago Division Acting Inspector in Charge Kai Pickens in the release. “If you harm one of our employees, we will find you and put you behind bars. My thanks to everyone who contributed to identifying, locating, and apprehending these suspects. Though no words can ever undo this terrible crime, we can at least say that these arrests are another step toward securing justice for Aundre Cross.”