EVERETT, Wash. — New details are emerging about the shooting of a postal worker by a driver delivering packages for Amazon. The accused now claims he acted in self-defense.
The 26-year-old suspect made his first court appearance Monday, where a judge set bail at $1 million. He is facing potential charges of first-degree assault. The man claims the shooting was in self-defense, though court documents raise questions about his mental health.
The suspect sat silent during his appearance. We is not identifying him because he has not been formally charged, but the allegations are troubling.
The shooting happened Friday afternoon at the West Mall Place Apartments. A driver delivering Amazon packages allegedly opened fire on a U.S. Postal Service worker, shooting him in the face. Resident Dez Thomas heard the gunshot.
“And then I heard someone screaming for help. It really rattled me because I have never heard a grown man scream for help like that. A movie is one thing but actually hearing it,” Thomas said.
Police said the suspect was armed with two handguns and a knife and was wearing a bulletproof vest. Investigators said he told them the postal worker was the aggressor and that he acted in self-defense.
However, court documents show the suspect told police he believed he was being “cyberstalked by the mafia” and thought the “USPS worker may have been a mafia assassin.” He reportedly told investigators he had filed more than 100 tips with the FBI about perceived threats and claimed he had been “shot by both rifles and crossbows while on the job delivering packages.”
The suspect’s attorney confirmed that he was delivering packages for Amazon. An Amazon spokesperson said the man does not work directly for the company but for a third-party delivery service contracted by Amazon.
Thomas said he is still shaken by the violence.
“It’s horrible. That doesn’t even begin to say what’s going on in my mind. I don’t really know what to say except some strong expletives,” he said.
The postal worker has been released from the hospital. Investigators said he will likely lose an eye.
트위터 공유: 아마존 배달원의 정당방위 주장 우체국 직원 총격 사건