Louisiana Postal Carrier — and Grandfather to 13 — Is Fatally Shot While Delivering Mail
The senseless killing of a postal worker as he was trying to deliver mail on Saturday has rattled the community of Shreveport, Louisiana — and left 13 children without their grandfather.
Antonio Williams, 52, was known throughout Shreveport, where he worked as a U.S. Postal Service carrier for 17 years, the Shreveport Times reports.
Shreveport Police confirm in a statement that Williams was shot shortly after 11 a.m. on Saturday as he approached a home on Dudley Drive.
Police rushed to the scene after receiving several calls about a shooting. They arrived to find “Williams suffering from at least one gunshot wound to the upper body,” the statement explains.
Williams was transported to Ochsners LSU Health Hospital where he “succumbed to his injuries a short time later.”
Hours later, police obtained an arrest warrant charging 32-year-old Michael Gentry with one count of second-degree murder.
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“Investigators believe Gentry shot Williams as he was delivering mail to the residence,” reads the police statement. “At this point investigators do not believe there was any type of dispute between the men prior to the shooting.”
Gentry is being held on $250,000 bond.
It was unclear Monday if he has a lawyer or has appeared before a judge to enter a plea to the charge against him.
A vigil was held Sunday for Williams. According to KSLA, several people along his route considered Williams to be a friend, and emphasized how he would not only deliver the mail but also stop to talk to people.
Speaking to the Shreveport Times, Margaret Halbrooks called Williams “one of the good men.”
Halbrooks, who was friends with Williams, said he “was always a kind soul. He did a great job and took pride in what he did, always with a smile.”
