Advertisement

Indianapolis man pleads guilty to killing USPS carrier over delayed mail

INDIANAPOLIS — A man accused of fatally shooting a mail carrier over delayed deliveries in 2020 has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Tony Cushingberry, 23, faces a maximum of life in federal prison after he admitted to police that he shot mail carrier Angela Summers in April 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Indiana. He will be sentenced at a later date by a federal district court judge.

Summers was traveling her U.S. Postal Service route in April 2020 when investigators say she was confronted by Cushingberry on the east side of Indianapolis.

Mail delivery to the home had been delayed due to an aggressive dog at Cushingberry's residence, according to court documents. When Summers walked past the home without delivering the mail, Cushingberry confronted her and repeatedly asked for his mail while on a neighbor's porch, a court statement said.

Angela Summers, 45, was fatally shot Monday, April 27.
Angela Summers, 45, was fatally shot Monday, April 27.

The mail carrier sprayed Cushingberry with mace and he then pulled a gun from his waistband and shot Summers in the chest, authorities previously said. Summers was taken to a hospital, where she died. She was 45 years old.

MAIL MURDER: Suspect in letter carrier's killing confronted her over suspended mail, documents say

USPS ATTACKS: USPS delivery resumes after attacks on mail carriers in California neighborhood

USPS Inspector-in-Charge Rodney Hopkins said in a statement that this 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."

Follow Hannah Brock on Twitter @hannah_m_brock.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: USPS carrier Angela Summers death: Man pleads guilty to shooting