She was “a beautiful soul,” a wife, mother and grandmother with a dimpled smile as memorable as her spirit.
That was all taken away when, in broad daylight, someone shot and killed a 48-year-old woman identified as Octavia Redmond as she was delivering mail on her Far South Side route for the U. S. Postal Service.
According to Chicago police, the incident occurred in the West Pullman neighborhood in the 12100 block of South Harvard Avenue just before 11:40 a.m.
Neighbors told ABC7 Chicago they saw a car approach the victim’s USPS truck before hearing at least ten gunshots.
Police reported that the assailant, described as a male, approached Redmond, drew a gun and fired multiple shots. After being shot several times, Redmond was taken to Christ Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to Chicago Fire Department officials.
As of Friday night, no one was in custody, and there is no word yet on a motive. Area Two detectives are investigating.
Redmond’s USPS truck remained at the scene, and the offender fled westbound on 121st Street in a vehicle.
In a somber tribute to the veteran mail carrier, a flag was lowered to half-staff outside a South Side union hall on Friday night. Redmond, a devoted wife and grandmother, had dedicated over 15 years to her role as a letter carrier, serving with steadfast commitment and unwavering integrity.
The National Association of Letter Carriers released a statement that read, in part, that “The 280,000 members of NALC mourn the loss of Sister Redmond. She was a public servant doing her job when her life and future were stolen from her. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with her family, friends and all her loved ones.”
News of Redmond’s shooting death rocked the quiet South Side block where she had become a fixture.
Kim Sanders, who works at a group home a few blocks away, expressed shock and devastation that such an event occurred on an ordinarily quiet block.
“It can’t be true, not in this area, not on this block, because it’s a lot of older people. And all of us know each other,” Sanders told ABC 7 Chicago. “My heart is shattered. She was a nice lady. She’d just come up and down the block, deliver the mail, and didn’t bother anybody.”
Sanders added, “We all knew her. She was like a mother to the neighborhood.”
“She’d sometimes tell me to have a good day or give a sucker to the clients. She was a very, very good mail lady.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service Chicago Division is offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to the shooter’s arrest and conviction.
🚨REWARD🚨Postal Inspectors are offering a reward up to $250,000 for info leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect(s) responsible for the homicide of a #USPS letter carrier today near 12156 S Harvard, #Chicago. Call us at 877-876-2455. #USPIS pic.twitter.com/vkCPHjVg4v
— USPIS – Chicago (@USPIS_CHI) July 19, 2024
You can call 877-876-2455 to report information.
ABC 7 Chicago contributed to this report.
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