Authorities and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is looking for a suspect accused of fatally shooting a postal worker in his van while working over the weekend. They say the employee was targeted but the motive is still unknown.
Saturday afternoon 33-year-old Jonte Davis was dropping off mail on the 600 block of Olive Avenue NE in Warren, OH. However, police say his van crashed suddenly at an intersection. When police and EMTs arrived at the scene, they pulled Davis from the vehicle, finding his body riddled with gunshot wounds. He died later at Trumbull Regional Medical Center. Police say the shooting suspect was driving the vehicle that collided with Davis’ postal van.
Read more from The Warren Police Department statement:
Within a few hours, the suspect vehicle was located in a driveway at 429 Maryland Ave NE. A search warrant for the residence and vehicle was obtained and the Mahoning Valley Crisis Response Team was called to assist with serving the warrant. Evidence, including the suspect vehicle, was recovered and several individuals were transported to the Warren Police Department to be interviewed. There is no one in custody at this time for this targeted attack. It is believed at this time that the victim and suspect(s) knew each other. The U.S. Postal Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting with this ongoing investigation.
The department said no one is in custody yet but USPIS is offering up to $250,000 to anyone who has any information on who the shooter may be. There are no leads yet but police suspect the shooter and Davis knew each other.
At a gathering over the weekend, Davis’ family members remembered the life of the mailman, describing him as a dedicated father of 10, brother and army veteran. They also expressed confusion of why someone would target Davis, a seemingly unproblematic but positive part of the community.
“That’s the hardest part, ma’am. It’s just that he was out doing his job trying to make a living for himself and his family, and someone would do that to him. He wasn’t trying to be in the streets and do wrong things. He was trying to be a professional, be responsible, be a role model for his kids and others to follow,” said Tracey Kindler, Davis’ friend, via KKTV.
His loved ones called on the shooter to turn himself in.
Anyone with any information about this case is being asked to contact Detective John Greaver at 330-841-2723 or at jgreaver@warren.org.