Second Suspect Charged Two Years After Chicago Mail Carrier Octavia Redmond Was Shot Dead on Her Route

Octavia Redmond was delivering mail on her West Pullman route on the morning of July 19, 2024, when a person in a ski mask got out of a stolen white Dodge Durango parked near South Harvard Avenue and West 122nd Street and fired at least eight shots at close range.

She was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center.

She was 48 years old. She had been a USPS letter carrier for five years. Her husband, Demetrius Redmond, was also a fellow letter carrier who was near the scene when she was killed.

More than two years later, a second suspect has been charged in her murder.

The Murder

At approximately 11:38 a.m. on July 19, 2024, Octavia Redmond was delivering mail in the 12100 block of South Harvard Avenue in the West Pullman neighborhood in the 5th District when a person in a ski mask exited a stolen white Dodge Durango and fired at least eight shots at her at close range, according to Chicago Police and the US Postal Inspection Service.

The getaway vehicle was later found abandoned and set on fire in the 8900 block of South Holland Road.

Redmond was rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead.

She left behind her husband, Demetrius Redmond, her children and grandchildren.

Sources told investigators the shooting appeared targeted and was not a robbery. Redmond was the fourth letter carrier assigned to that West Pullman route in five years.

A Nation Responded

Her death shocked Chicago and the nation.

The US Postal Inspection Service offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects responsible.

Letter carriers and union leaders rallied at the Roseland post office where Redmond had worked, demanding stronger protections for postal workers on the job.

National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 11 President Elise Foster said letter carriers should not have to wonder whether they would return home to their families after a day of delivering mail.

Union members called on Congress to pass the Protect the Letter Carriers Act and demanded that the Roseland post office be renamed in Octavia Redmond’s memory.

The First Arrest

Following a months-long joint investigation by the US Postal Inspection Service and Chicago Police, a 15-year-old boy was arrested in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in October 2024 by Chicago Police and the US Marshals Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force.

He was extradited to Chicago and charged with first-degree murder.

He pleaded guilty to murdering Redmond and was sentenced to five years in the Department of Juvenile Justice in July 2026.

Chicago police released video of a person of interest wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, Octavia Redmond

The Second Arrest

On August 24, 2026, Chicago Police and the US Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Lyndell Deyoung, 35, in the 500 block of East 80th Street.

He was identified as an additional offender who participated in the murder of Octavia Redmond and was placed into custody without incident.

The CPD press release describes Deyoung as one of the offenders, confirming that multiple people were involved in her killing. The investigation into her murder continues.

The Charges

Deyoung faces two felony counts in connection with the murder.

One count of first-degree murder.

One count of murder with strong probability of death or great bodily harm.

A detention hearing is scheduled for August 26, 2026, at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse at 2600 South California Avenue.

Prior Arrest History

CPD public arrest records reviewed by Chicago Crime Chaser show Deyoung has nine prior arrests dating back to January 2015, when he was 23 years old, including cannabis possession and delivery in August 2015, reckless conduct in January 2018, and controlled substance possession in July 2018.

Most significantly, on September 1, 2024, just six weeks after the murder of Octavia Redmond, Deyoung was arrested for receiving, possessing, or selling a stolen vehicle and released two days later.

On August 30 2025, he was arrested again for criminal trespass to a vehicle and released the following day.

Chicago Crime Chaser has not been able to independently verify the outcomes of these prior cases.

Octavia Redmond

Octavia Redmond was a wife, mother, grandmother, and 15-year USPS employee who colleagues described as the sweetest person ever and a beloved staple of the West Pullman community she served.

Her husband, Demetrius Redmond, was a fellow letter carrier who was near the scene when she was killed.

Her colleagues are still demanding justice and recognition for her life and service.

Chicago Crime Chaser extends its deepest condolences to the Redmond family and the entire Chicago postal worker community.