MILWAUKEE — Three people were charged with killing Aundre Cross, an on-duty postal worker who was shot and killed in Milwaukee on Dec. 9.
According to a criminal complaint, a missing package of marijuana sent through the mail might have been the motive.
Charles Ducksworth Jr. and Kevin McCaa, both of Milwaukee, were charged with the murder, or the aided and abetted murder, of Cross. If convicted of either offense, Duckworth Jr. and McCaa could both face life in prison.
A third person, Shanelle McCoy, was charged with providing false statements to law enforcement while they investigated the murder.
“Today’s charges are the direct result of the tireless efforts of dedicated law enforcement professionals from the Milwaukee Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the FBI, and other federal, state, and local partners,” stated U.S. Attorney Haanstad in a press release front The Department of Justice.
According to the press release from the DOJ, both McCaa and Ducksworth Jr. had marijuana with the intent to distribute it. McCaa also had ammunition on him, despite being a convicted felon. Both men have been charged with these additional crimes.
Cross was fatally shot on Friday, Dec. 9 around 6 p.m. while working his mail route near 65th and Lancaster.
A week prior to the murder on Dec. 2, two "sister parcels" were scanned by Cross as "Delivery Attempted - No Access to Delivery Location." USPS business records indicate the scan occurred near 77th and Carmen in Milwaukee, which is 1.5 miles away from the delivery address. The parcels did not return to the original USPS delivery unit. According to the complaint, this "could indicate that a USPS employee retained the parcel or provided it to someone else outside of normal operations."
The complaint says 13 suspicious packages were shipped to addresses in Milwaukee connected to McCaa and Ducksworth. They were all postmarked from California addresses, a state known for illegal drug trafficking, the complaint says.
On the day of Cross' murder, the complaint says multiple residential surveillance cameras show McCaa and Ducksworth following Cross in a car with no license plates while he was delivering mail. The video then shows McCaa allegedly approaching Cross, and a gunshot can be heard in the footage.
Dave Skowronek, the Vice President of Branch 2 Letter Carriers in the Greater Milwaukee Area, described being shocked when he found out Cross was killed.
"I've been a letter carrier for 33 plus years now and this is the first time this has happened to one of my brothers or sisters in the greater Milwaukee area in my career," Skowronek said.
After learning that three people were charged for the crime, Skowronek said he feels, "absolute relief for the Cross family, for all my fellow letter carriers. Just relief in general that the bad guy's not out there anymore."
Read the full criminal complaint below:
Criminal Complaint by TODAY'S TMJ4
This story will be updated as we learn more information.
