Man gets 30 years prison time for killing of USPS mail carrier over delayed mail in 2020
Update: Tony Cushingberry, 24, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for the 2020 murder of a U.S. Postal Service worker, the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana announced June 1, 2023.
Original article: The man who confronted a mail carrier and fatally shot her over delayed deliveries in 2020 has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
On April 27, 2020 Angela Summers was traveling her typical U.S. Postal Service route when investigators say she was confronted by Tony Cushingberry on the city's east side.
After mail had been delayed due to an aggressive dog at his residence, a court statement says Cushingberry confronted Summers about the delay. She had walked past his home without delivering the mail. Standing about 6 feet away, Cushingberry repeatedly asked for his mail on a neighbor's porch.
The mail carrier sprayed Cushingberry with mace, according to previous reporting. He pulled a gun from his waistband and shot her in the chest.
Original article: Suspect in letter carrier's killing confronted her over suspended mail, documents say
After she was shot on North Denny Street, Summers was taken to a hospital, where she died. She was 45 years old.
Cushingberry admitted he shot Summers to police, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Indiana
USPS Inspector-in-Charge Rodney Hopkins said this guilty charge should serve as a "deterrent to those criminal actors who threaten the fundamental right of a safe work environment for our nation’s postal employees," according to a written statement.
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He faces a maximum of life in federal prison. Cushingberry will be sentenced at a later date by a federal district court judge.
Contact Hannah Brock at hannah.brock@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter @hannah_m_brock.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: USPS employee killed: Man gets 30 years prison time in shooting
