Man Charged In Fatal Shooting Of Postal Worker He Believed Poisoned His Family

A Pennsylvania man has been charged with murder after authorities said that he shot and killed a 58-year-old postal worker for “poisoning him and his family.”

The shooting on Suburban Avenue in Collier was reported shortly before 10.15 a.m. Thursday, according to Allegheny County police. Eric M. Kortz, 53 was taken into custody and charged with the murder of Louis Vignone, 58, a veteran at the United States Postal Service.

Kortz turned himself over to the Carnegie Borough Police Department shortly after the shooting and admitted to the killing.

At the crime scene, local law enforcement officers found Vignone with multiple gunshot wounds, including one to his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh said in a statement.

"At the time of the shooting, Vignone was wearing his USPS uniform and working his shift as a letter carrier. Investigators located a firearm and seven spent shell casings in a yard near the USPS vehicle," the statement added.

During an interview with investigators, Kortz said that he believed Vignone and his family had been poisoning him and his family with cyanide when they were neighbors before. Kortz said he knew where Vignone worked and followed his mail route. He told the investigators that he "went to put some bullets in him," WTAE reported.

After the shooting, Kotz left his firearm at the scene and drove his van to a police station to turn himself in. Officials found a firearm and seven spent shell casings in a yard near the USPS vehicle, the outlet reported citing authorities.

Multiple departments including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Allegheny County Police Department and the Collier Township Police Department were investigating the incident.

Residents close to the crime scene reported hearing multiple gunshots and saw a white van leaving the area.

Debbie Bock was with a contractor who was working on her house when they heard the gunshots, WTAE reported. The duo rushed to the scene and found Vigone on the ground. The contractor tried to help the victim. "He reached for him to see if there was a pulse and see if there was anything could do but it was clear that he was deceased," Bock told the outlet.

Kortz appeared before a judge Thursday night. He was charged with murder of an employee of the United States and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime. He will next appear before a judge on Oct. 12 at 3 p.m. and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison or the death penalty.