MILWAUKEE — Tarsha McClain spent part of Monday at the spot where her friend and colleague, Aundre Cross, was killed while delivering mail on Friday evening. 

What You Need To Know

  • On Friday, Aundre Cross, a mail carrier, was shot and killed while on the job

  • Tarsha McClain worked with Cross for five years of his 18 with USPS

  • She said he touched many lives and was beloved by everyone in the office and along his route
  • There is a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest of those involved

Over the weekend, the spot became a memorial, with friends and family leaving behind balloons, Christmas decorations and notes. 

One note read, "Rest in peace, Dre. Always positive vibes. Blessing to know you.”

McClain knew Cross for five years. She works at the Hampton postal station as a clerk, the same station Cross worked as a mail carrier.

She said when she heard the news, she was devastated. 

“The presence he had in the office, he was just so full of energy," McClain said. "It’s never going to be the same again.” 

She was at work until 6:15 p.m. Friday night. According to the Postal Inspection Service, the shooting happened at 4:38 p.m.

“They never called and said they had a carrier down on the ground or anything," McClain said. 

She didn’t find out until a friend called her around 8 p.m. that night. She came out to the scene, and stayed there for a few hours. 

“He was such a loving person," McClain said. "Out of anybody this could have happened to, this shouldn’t have happened to him.”

McClain was at the memorial Monday with another friend who was a mail carrier with Cross. 

Neither of them went in to work on Monday because of what happened. 

While it’s not common for a mail carrier to be shot and killed on their route, McClain said violence isn’t new. 

“This wasn’t the first attack on carriers," McClain said. 

Ron Kania, the president of Milwaukee’s branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers, said the same. 

“It’s happening too frequently — people being robbed or held up or abducted," Kania said. "It’s happening much more frequently than in the past, but no one expects this level of violence.” 

While he said they don’t expect mail carriers to be shot and killed on their routes, safety is always at the front of their minds. 

He said he’d like there to be changes after Friday’s shooting. 

“I would like to see people working fewer hours. I’d like to see people working during the daytime hours — that’s what I would like to see, me as an individual," Kania said. "But, I’m not sure that’s the world we live in at the moment.”

He said one thing would be to hire more employees, which has been difficult ever since the pandemic. 

McClain would like to see changes, too, to keep mail carriers safe. 

For now, she’s taking solace in seeing the community come together for her friend. 

“He touched a lot of people's lives," McClain said. "I don’t even think he realized how many people he touched every day."

Police said they’re still investigating the circumstances leading up to the incident and are searching for suspects. MPD is helping with the investigation, along with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The inspection service is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects. They say the suspect or suspects should be considered armed and dangerous. The suspect vehicle was described as a silver Audi Q5 SUV with tinted windows.

Those who have information about the crime can contact MPD at (414) 935-7360 or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at (877) 876-2455. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-TIPS or P3 TIPs.​

Spectrum News reached to the Postal Inspection Service. They said safety is a huge concern of theirs and said they understand that mail carriers in Milwaukee could feel nervous on their routes.

They said if they feel anything is suspicious, to tell their management and to call the Postal Inspector’s Office at (877) 876-2455.