MILWAUKEE — Friends, family and community members gathered Sunday afternoon to honor and remember Aundre Cross.
Cross was a United States Postal Service mail carrier. He was shot and killed while delivering in Milwaukee Friday night.
“He’s a friend, a brother,” said Tia R. “When you know someone that long, they become family.”
For nearly a decade, R delivered mail alongside Cross. She said she was devastated hearing the news that Cross was shot and killed while on the job he’s worked for 18 years.
“It was heartbreaking,” said R. “It was heart wrenching. I immediately stopped what I was doing.”
This incident especially hits home for R. She said she left USPS in 2019 after experiencing violence on her route.
Cross was delivering at night, in what R describes as a high-crime area.
“The job already has its hazards, but delivering at night is just an added hazard to an already hazardous job,” said R.
She said Cross leaves behind a wife and four children.
A close family friend, Jared Tangle, said Cross didn’t deserve this.
“Aundre just wasn’t an ordinary guy. He was a special guy,” said R. “He was a wonderful guy. He was a godly man. He was a wonderful man. For someone to do that to him is not right.”
Police say 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.