Crime Stoppers: New video shows suspected killer of Milwaukee mail carrier
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Flags across Wisconsin are flying at half-staff Thursday, Dec. 22, in honor of Aundre Cross, a United States Postal Service (USPS) worker shot to death while delivering mail on his route in Milwaukee.
Friday, Dec. 23, will mark two weeks since Cross was murdered. While his family members laid him to rest, investigators haven't found his killer -- they need your help.
Officials shared exclusive video with CBS 58 from the shooting.
Ring camera video shows a suspect walking out of an alley toward an unsuspecting Cross, who was walking from house to house in uniform delivering mail near 65th and Lancaster.
In the video, snow is seen falling as the suspect quickly runs back to a silver Audi SUV.
"He was gunned down simply doing his job. All the neighbors we've spoken to say he was a cheerful, pleasant man," said Milwaukee Police Detective Justin Sokolowski.
Milwaukee Police Detective Justin Sokolowski is working the case. He says the person in the video shot Cross on Dec. 9, at point-blank range while he was on the phone singing to his mother.
"After Mr. Cross was shot, a 911 call came in an hour-and-a-half later from a resident returning home from work where she discovered Mr. Cross," Sokolowski said.
Sokolowski said the video is just one of hundreds of hours of video that's been pulled because the case is all hands-on deck at the Milwaukee Police Department. They, along with the FBI, and USPS inspectors have been pouring over it from every angle, piecing together clues to help them find the shooter.
"Part of the main problem that we are having is even though this happened at 4:30 in the afternoon, in broad daylight, there are no witnesses that saw it with their own eyes. Everything we are getting right now for evidence is going to be through video retrieval to try to piece together exactly what happened to Mr. Cross. We are looking for people who might have information to come forward and speak with us," said Sokolowski.
Cross had been a postal worker for more than a decade. He'd use Ring cameras to joke with people he delivered mail to for years. Now, many in the community are holding vigils, remembering him in special ways and wondering why someone would do this.
"This is probably the most egregious case I've personally ever worked," said Sokolowski.
Detectives don't have a motive yet. They're hoping you can help with that and more. We do know this homicide is unprecedented. A Milwaukee postal worker hasn't been killed on the job in at least 35 years. It's a federal crime that crosses an unspoken line in a city already waiting to be delivered from extreme levels of violence.
"He was doing his job trying to take care of his family, provide for his family doing that being a postal carrier, it was pretty egregious what happened that day to Mr. Cross hopefully someone from the community will come forward with information and share that with us," Sokolowski said.
If you know anything about this, call Milwaukee Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS. You can also use the P3 Tips App. Remember, your call or tip submission is always anonymous and if it leads to an arrest, you get a cash reward. In this case, there is also a totally separate reward from USPS directly for $50,000.
