A longtime east Harris County mail carrier was robbed at gunpoint while delivering mail on Monday afternoon, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service confirmed on Wednesday.
The agency said postal property was stolen but the carrier, who neighbors say is named Will, was unharmed during the incident in the 100 block of Moonridge Drive.
MAIL CARRIER ROBBED AT GUNPOINT: @USPIS_Houston confirms postal property was stolen from a letter carrier in East Harris County. Neighbors say it was the master key. USPIS now working with @HCSOTexas to ID & arrest suspect(s), who may face federal penalties. @KPRC2 now at 10. pic.twitter.com/B7kyWZMlmP
— Bryce Newberry (@KPRC2Bryce) July 28, 2022
Surveillance videos captured a dark-colored sedan pull up on Long Shadow Drive and a man in a hoodie got out of the car, walking down the street toward Moonridge Drive.
Another video shows the man casually walking along the street, before charging at the mail carrier with a gun drawn.
He’s seen taking something from the mail carrier’s right hand, which neighbors said was a master key – a universal key that can access many mailboxes in many neighborhoods.
“I really felt bad for him. I know he was shook up. I was shook up, and I wasn’t there,” said Shellee Spiller, who lives near where the armed robbery happened.
Details on the incident were still limited on Wednesday afternoon.
“Protecting the Postal Service is the core mission of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Robbery investigations receive the highest level of response and attention. Postal Inspectors are working with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office to identify and arrest the individual(s) involved,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service wrote in a statement to KPRC 2.
Spiller said the mail carrier is well-known by neighbors. He was described as a strong, nice man who goes out of his way to do the job well. He has served the area for years – one neighbor said at least a decade.
“He was doing his job, you know, trying to support his family, and working for what he has and what he wants, like we all have done around here,” Spiller said. “After he kind of calmed down and got himself together, he’s like, ‘Well, I’m going to continue working – there’s no need to go home.’ They brought him another truck, he got in the other truck, and he finished his route for that day. Amazing guy.”
Armed robbery of a mail carrier is a federal offense that carries a maximum sentence of up to 25 years in prison.
If anyone has any information about this incident, it can be reported to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by calling 877-876-2455 or at this website.
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