Beloved postwoman gunned down while delivering mail leaving community devastated

A postwoman was tragically shot dead in front of a house in Chicago on Friday leaving the local community devastated.

The shooter approached Octavia Redmond, 48, and fired several shots before fleeing in a vehicle, as reported by the police.

“I’m looking for my morning smile or my afternoon smile,” Kim Sanders, who works in the neighborhood, said. “Now, I got to adjust to somebody else.”

She added: “My heart is shattered because she was a nice lady. She just come up and down the block and deliver the mail, didn’t bother nobody.”

Redmond had been serving as a letter carrier for five years and was only 48 years old. The fatal shooting took place on the city's South Side in the West Pullman neighborhood around 11:38 aam CT, police confirmed. Neighbors reporting seeing the car driving down the street before hearing at least 10 gunshots.

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The 48 year old victim suffered "multiple gunshot wounds" and was rushed to a local hospital, where she sadly passed away, said the police. Her name has not been disclosed yet.

No one has been arrested in relation to the shooting, according to the police.

The US Postal Inspection Service Chicago Division is offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects.

"NALC (National Association of Letter Carriers) is heartbroken by the murder of Octavia Redmond, our sister from Chicago, IL Branch 11," a statement from the NALC released on Friday read. "Today, Sister Redmond was shot multiple times on her route and was taken to the hospital, where she died. The perpetrator is still at large."

A statement from NALC read: "Like me, the members of NALC are outraged by this senseless act of violence that took an innocent woman's life. For far too long, violent crime against letter carriers has been on the rise. Shockingly, now it is not uncommon for letter carriers to be targeted, assaulted, and even murdered. This is completely unacceptable, and we need immediate change.

"Every American deserves to go to work without fear and return home safely to their families. We will not stop fighting until this is a reality for all letter carriers."