USPS worker Aundre Cross remembered as cheerful, caring one year after shooting death

One year after mail carrier Aundre Cross was shot and killed, his friends and fellow postal workers gathered Saturday to remember his life.

Retired Milwaukee mail carrier Michael Carter recalled Cross, who was an 18-year employee of the U.S. Postal Service, as a cheerful and compassionate person.

"Aundre was the most caring person that you would ever come across. Aundre would give you the shirt off his back," Carter said. "If you had a problem, Aundre was there to solve it."

Postal workers held candles and released balloons at a memorial service in the 5000 block of North 65th Street, where on Dec. 9, 2022, prosecutors say a gunman shot Cross, 44, in the head while he was delivering mail. Ald. Mark Chambers announced that Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the Common Council had proclaimed Dec. 9 as Aundre Cross Day in his honor.

Carter said he and Cross started at the Postal Service together, when Cross was 19 years old, and remained close. To Carter, Cross was like a little brother.

He worries now about the safety of the other mail carriers who almost always must deliver mail after dark. During the busy holiday season, carriers are often walking their routes until 7, 8 or 9 p.m., Carter said.

"Some of these carriers out here probably are going to go back to their routes," Carter said, speaking shortly after 5 p.m. as the event was ending.

Debra McDade of Milwaukee, a postal clerk and a former mail carrier who worked at the downtown post office with Cross, remembered him fondly and said she is concerned about the dangers carriers face on their routes.

"He was so sweet and funny. He was hilarious," she said. "It brought tears to my eyes just to know that the carriers are going through what they're going through."

Jiffy Brown of Milwaukee, also a postal clerk, used to work at the Hampton post office with Cross and said he was always a joyful presence.

"No matter what your mood was, you'd forget about your issues. He was always energetic, dancing and singing. Just a good spirit overall," she said.

Now, one year since his killing, Brown said, "We're just waiting for justice to be served."

Cross' death lead to an outpouring of support last year. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers ordered flags across the state to be flown at half-staff after the shooting. An online fundraiser for Cross' wife and four children raised nearly $10,000.

“Mr. Cross was, by all accounts, a cherished husband, father, coworker, minister, and friend, and he was a dedicated public servant who committed 18 years of his life and career to the U.S. Postal Service and his community,” Evers said at the time.

Four charged in Aundre Cross' shooting death

A federal grand jury indicted four people in Cross' death. Two of them, Kevin McCaa and Charles Ducksworth Jr., are charged with first-degree murder.

McCaa is also charged with possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. Ducksworth is also charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Shanelle McCoy and Lakisha Ducksworth are charged with providing false statements to law enforcement. Trial dates have not yet been set in the cases.

According to a criminal complaint, McCaa and Charles Ducksworth followed Cross in a vehicle for an hour while he was delivering mail prior to the shooting.

Around 4:38 p.m., one of the suspects — who is not specified in the complaint — is seen on surveillance video exiting the vehicle and approaching Cross from behind. Then a gunshot is heard. The suspects fled in the vehicle, the complaint said. Cross died from a single gunshot to the head.

When questioned by investigators, McCoy said she was using the same vehicle to make deliveries for DoorDash at the time of the shooting, but investigators found she was actually using a different car.

Weeks later, officers arrested the three suspects. At the home where McCaa and McCoy were arrested, officers found two Glock magazines and several rounds of ammunition.

When arresting Charles Ducksworth, investigators found a Glock 9mm handgun with a drum magazine and a large quantity of marijuana, which was believed to be for distribution.

It is unclear from the complaint if, or how, the suspects and Cross had any relationship prior to the murder. The complaint details a missing package suspected of containing drugs that was in Cross’ possession days earlier but was never delivered nor returned to a postal facility.

The complaint stated that this “could indicate that a USPS employee retained the parcel or provided it to someone else outside of normal operations.” It did not share any more details about this or how this, and other, packages mentioned in the complaint relate to the murder.

Elliot Hughes and Drew Dawson of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.