ATF and 35 postal inspectors investigating shooting of mailman
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Thirty-five agents from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are in Houston as part of an agency investigation into the shooting of a mail carrier in the Spring Branch area.
Adrian Jackson, 30, was shot in the lower abdomen and back Saturday as he was delivering mail on Cedardale Drive just before 2 p.m.
Neighbors heard the gunshots and saw him trying to pull himself to safety and calling for help. That's when neighbors responded.
A black Honda Fit SUV was seen leaving the scene. The same vehicle was reported in an earlier incident at a Costco nearby.
At the store, an employee directing traffic near the gas pumping stations described the compact SUV with a man pointing a gun at him.
The trigger was pulled, but the gun misfired.
READ MORE: $50,000 reward offered in shooting of mail carrier
Jackson remains hospitalized, and according to the postal service, is stable. His family is requesting privacy.
The suspect faces both state and federal charges.
It is a federal crime to kill or attempt to kill a postal employee in the performance of their duties. If it is a murder, it is a capital crime, and could carry the death penalty. The investigation is focusing on what led up to the attack and what happened after it.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is also assisting, as is Houston police and both the Harris and Montgomery County sheriff's offices.
"Our phone line has gotten a lot of calls so far, but there's someone out there who has the information we need to find the person," said Postal Inspector Tony Robinson.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is offering up to a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this case. Anyone with that information can call 877-876-2455.
