Longmont postal carrier killed Wednesday was in custody battle with suspected shooter, police say

Mitchell Byars, Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.
·3 min read

Oct. 14—Court documents have identified the Longmont postal carrier killed Wednesday as Jason Schaefer, and an arrest affidavit indicates he was in a custody battle with the woman accused of shooting him.

Devan Schreiner, 26, was arrested late Wednesday on suspicion of first-degree murder, and is now scheduled to appear in Boulder District Court on Tuesday, according to court records.

According to an affidavit, Longmont police were called to Sicily Circle at 12:32 p.m. for a report of shots fired, followed by another call from a resident saying a postal worker had been shot near their mailbox.

Schaefer, 33, was found dead with a gunshot wound to his face, according to the affidavit.

Police said video surveillance indicated four shots were fired, followed by a person fleeing the area on foot.

According to an affidavit, when a postmaster arrived at the scene, they asked if the mother of Schaefer's child was a suspect. Police then discovered Schaefer had filed documents on Monday pertaining to parenting time and that Schreiner was supposed to have been served with those documents.

In addition to the new filings, court records show two prior child custody cases involving Schreiner and Schaefer.

Schaefer had previously received threats from Schreiner, according to a witness in the case.

Schreiner had also worked at the Longmont post office until two weeks ago, when she was fired because of an incident between her and Schaefer.

According to the affidavit, Schreiner is now working at the Loveland post office as a mail carrier. Police did obtain GPS information from the U.S. Postal Service on Schreiner's scanner, but the location information obtained was redacted in the affidavit. However, the GPS information did indicate the scanner was stationary for an extended period of time, which a U.S. Postal Service investigator said was unusual.

At 5:27 p.m. Wednesday, Schreiner called Longmont police and agreed to come in and speak with detectives. She drove to the station, and her vehicle was towed to an evidence lot.

Schreiner's statements to police were redacted in the affidavit.

Schreiner lives in Fort Collins, and Longmont police said in a release Thursday that they are searching her apartment, along with a friend's residence in Loveland. Police are also obtaining a warrant to search Schreiner's vehicle and the vehicle of her friend.

It has not yet been said whether the case will be prosecuted in state or federal court, but Longmont police said "teamwork has generated a lot of progress in the short period of time since the murder."

"The District Attorney's Office continues to work closely with the U.S. Attorney's Office, along with the support from the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Services, Longmont Police Services, and US Postal Service Office of Inspector General," the release stated. "Our local, state, and federal partners are providing resources, support, and assistance in this investigation."

Police are still looking for possible surveillance footage from the area of the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to contact Longmont police at 303-651-8501.