Suspect, 17, arrested in shooting death of US Postal Service letter carrier, an Army vet
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A makeshift memorial in honor of the mail carrier fatally shot Monday in Southwest Albuquerque, New Mexico is seen in front of the Five Points Postal Station, photographed on April 23, 2019. (Associated Press)
A 17-year-old suspect was arrested Wednesday night in connection with Monday’s shooting death of a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, according to authorities in New Mexico.
Albuquerque Police confirmed the arrest in a Twitter message.
“Our detectives worked with the US Postal Inspection Service to locate and arrest the suspect accused of murdering a local letter carrier. Thank you to everyone who assisted,” the message said.
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The arrest happened “without incident,” police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos told the Albuquerque Journal. Further details about the arrest were not immediately available.
Flowers and notes are arranged atop a mailbox on April 23, 2019, in tribute to a mail carrier who police say was killed outside an adjacent home in Albuquerque, N.M. (Associated Press)
Fox News is withholding the name of the suspect because of his age. A photo shown on local television showed the teen smiling and holding a large handgun.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Letter carrier Jose Hernandez was fatally shot Monday afternoon when he intervened in a domestic dispute between the suspect and his mother outside their home, Albuquerque’s KOB-TV reported.
Hernandez had used mace on the teen after he allegedly “became aggressive” during the dispute, the Journal reported. The teen then allegedly got a gun from inside the house then came back outside and allegedly shot Hernandez, the report said.
Neighbors tried to revive Hernandez but he died at the scene, the newspaper reported.
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"This is something that is completely unexpected," said Rod Spurgeon, a spokesman for the Postal Service.
Hernandez was a U.S. Army veteran and had worked for the Postal Service for 12 years, family members told the Journal. He was originally from Phoenix, the report said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A small memorial was seen Tuesday outside the post office where Hernandez worked. “Rest in Peace, Jose,” read a sign propped against a tree.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.