INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man will spend 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing a postal worker in 2020 because, documents say, he was angry about the recent lack of mail delivery to his home.
In July 2022, Tony Cushingberry pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of U.S. Postal Service letter carrier Angela Summers.
According to union officials, mail to Cushingberry's home on North Denny Street had been cut off because of a vicious dog. Two long-awaited federal stimulus checks were in that undelivered mail.
Paul Toms, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, said Cushingberry ignored two letters warning him to contain the dog.
"So a third letter went out, 'your mail will be curtailed until you correct it,'" Toms explained.
Summers, according to postal regulations, could not deliver mail to the house, but she did have to walk past it to deliver mail to other homes on her route.
On April 27, 2020, Summers was on her usual mail delivery route when Cushingberry confronted her to ask about the status of his mail. Toms said Cushingberry was "agitated and aggressive" because he wanted the stimulus checks that were supposed to be delivered to his house.
"She was not going to tell him, 'I’m not going to deliver your mail,'" Toms said. "They (Cushingberry) came out and confronted her, and that escalated to her death."
Federal prosecutors said Cushingberry chased Summers onto a neighbor's porch and, as she reached for a can of pepper spray, Cushinberry shot her in the chest. She collapsed on the porch and Cushingberry ran away. Summers was taken to a hospital, where she died.
Cushingberry later gave a statement to police admitting to shooting Summers.
“Angela Summers was a beloved family member and public servant, and she should be alive today. She was taken from those who cared for her by the defendant’s evil decision to gun her down while she was simply doing her job,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Our communities should not have to live in fear of every conflict leading to gun violence.”
Loved ones described Summers as energetic and enthusiastic. She was a Sunday school teacher, and some homeowners hung black ribbons from their mailboxes in her memory.
“Angela Summers did not deserve to be killed for doing her job,” said Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “My condolences go out to her family, friends, and colleagues, and I hope that this sentence at least provides a measure of closure for them.”