Minneapolis, MN
Letter carriers raise alarm over assaults, call for protections
Letter carriers rallied Sunday outside the downtown Minneapolis Post Office to raise awareness and call for on-the-job safety for their ranks.
Previously rare, attacks on letter carriers have spiked in recent years, with more than 2,000 violent attacks nationally since 2020, said leaders of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC). Letter carriers in Detroit, Phoenix, Cincinnati and other cities have rallied with a similar message in recent months, according to media reports.
“Since the Postal Service was founded nearly 250 years ago, letter carriers in uniform have been able to walk down the meanest streets of this country without incident,” NALC President Brian Renfroe said to an crowd of more than 60 that turned out in below-freezing weather. “Nobody messed with us, remember that? That’s no longer the case.”
Joseph Tiemann, NALC Branch 9 executive vice president, said Minnesota wasn’t on the list of places that had seen such attacks until November, when carriers in Edina and Brooklyn Center were robbed at gunpoint within 24 hours of each other.
“Fortunately, in these two cases, nobody was physically harmed, but the trauma lives,” Tiemann said, adding that he had heard Friday that a suspect had been caught in the cases. “This is something that a letter carrier should never have to experience.”
Patrick Johnson, NALC regional national business agent, said there have been more than 30 violent attacks against letter carriers in Region 7, which includes Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas, in 2022 and 2023, including the Dec. 2022 shooting death of Milwaukee letter carrier Aundre Cross. Nationally, Johnson said, only 14% of assaults on letter carriers resulted in prosecution.
Assaults are increasing as fraudsters have developed schemes that make getting access to mail profitable, Renfroe said.
One of those schemes is check washing, which involves stealing checks from the mail, changing information on them, such as payee name and dollar amounts, and then depositing or duplicating them, Renfroe said.
“Gaining access to the mail is not the reason for 100 percent of these crimes, but the vast majority — either to steal the mail directly or to gain access to our keys that we use to access mailboxes,” Renfroe said.
Speakers at the rally called for the U.S. Postal Service to do a better job of protecting workers, and for the U.S. Justice Department to deter attacks by heavily prosecuting people who attack letter carriers.
In May of 2023, the U.S. Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service launched Project Safe Delivery, an effort to reduce postal crimes with measures including enforcement surges, installing more secure mail collection boxes and replacing old locks with electronic ones as carriers were targeted for their keys.
At the rally, NALC leaders also asked community members to keep an eye out for carriers, just as carriers often serve as the eyes and ears of the neighborhoods they work in.
“If you see your letter carrier walking down the street, watching them walk to the end of the block could literally be the difference between this happening or this not happening. Just keep your eyes open,” Renfroe said.
Daniel Brito, who delivers mail south of downtown Minneapolis, showed up to the rally with a homemade sign that read, “My safety is flat rate priority.” He said he and his father are both letter carriers and the prospect of either of them being assaulted is terrifying.
Manon Wojack has been a letter carrier in north Minneapolis’ Lowry station for nearly 24 years. She said that in many cases, such as the unrest of 2020, postal workers have brought hope to communities.
“We stood together. Now we have to have hope that we make it home safe at night,” she said.
A Minneapolis man who pleaded guilty to murdering a high school student in 2022 was sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison on Monday.
It was the second time Cody Fohrenkam was sentenced for fatally shooting 15-year-old Deshaun Hill. He was convicted and sentenced to more than 38 years in prison in February 2023, but the Minnesota Court of Appeals later reversed the conviction and granted him a retrial based on illegally obtained incriminating statements.
Fohrenkam, 33, agreed to a plea deal as his second trial was set to start, pleading guilty to one count of second-degree intentional murder in exchange for Monday’s 340-month sentence. The judge presiding over the hearing gave him credit for 1,476 days already served.
Fohrenkam shot and killed Hill while Hill was walking to a bus stop just blocks from Minneapolis North High School, where Hill was a star quarterback and honor roll student.
One of Hill’s aunts said in a statement shortly before the judge sentenced Fohrenkam that her nephew was “full of life.”
“When he spoke, you listened. He had a soft spirit and a good heart,” she said. “Deshaun was an artist who, as you all know, he took his education seriously. He had dreams and goals. He worked hard to make his family proud.”
This story will be updated.
A man is now charged with murder after prosecutors say a robbery inside a Minneapolis apartment building ended in a fatal shooting.
Prosecutors say the man was on conditional release after being charged with first-degree armed carjacking for an incident in Minneapolis last September.
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The killing happened Feb. 24 inside the Abbott Apartments lounge area on the 100 block of East 18th Street, where police found an adult man dead from gunshot wounds after reports of a shooting.
Court documents state the victim and a friend went to the building to meet 20-year-old Abdirahman Khayre Khayre. A witness stated Khayre left the room several times and appeared to be stalling before three armed men entered and demanded property. The men were described as carrying two Glock-style handguns with extended magazines and an AR-style rifle. During the robbery, the suspects demanded a Louis Vuitton bag belonging to the victim. When the victim resisted, a struggle broke out. The witness stated that two guns were taken from him during the robbery.
The witness told investigators Khayre was handed one of the stolen guns and then pointed it at him, causing him to flee into the lobby. Moments later, multiple gunshots were heard. The witness returned and found the victim shot. Surveillance footage from other areas of the building reportedly corroborated key parts of the account, and the witness later identified Khayre in a photo lineup, according to the complaint.
PREVIOUSLY: Man Shot and Killed Inside Minneapolis Apartment Building
Authorities say Khayre was on conditional release at the time of the killing in a separate Hennepin County case involving a September 2025 armed carjacking.
READ MORE > Minneapolis coverage
In that earlier case, prosecutors alleged Khayre and others confronted a woman in a garage near 19th Street and Nicollet Avenue, pointed handguns at her and forced her to give up the keys to a Dodge Challenger before fleeing in the stolen vehicle. Officers later located the vehicle and arrested multiple suspects, including Khayre, who was identified as the driver.
Court records show Khayre posted a $75,000 non-cash bond and was released under conditions requiring him to remain law-abiding, have no possession of firearms or ammunition, avoid alcohol and controlled substances and complete treatment.
Khayre is now charged with second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony and first-degree aggravated robbery. He made an initial court appearance Friday, where a judge set bail at $1 million. If convicted of second-degree felony murder, he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
The homicide investigation remains ongoing. Authorities have not yet released the identity of the victim. Anyone with information is asked to contact Minneapolis police by emailing policetips@minneapolismn.gov or calling 612-673-5845. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online. Information leading to an arrest and conviction may be eligible for a financial reward.
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Minneapolis, MN
Man killed over Louie Vuitton bag, suspect was on bond for suspected carjacking, charges say
Minneapolis police are investigating a homicide on Feb. 24, 2026. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A man is dead after a witness said he refused to give up a Louis Vuitton bag while being robbed by multiple men at gunpoint.
Abdirahman Khayre Khayre, 20, is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree robbery for the incident that happened on the evening of Feb. 24 in Minneapolis.
READ MORE: Man fatally shot in south Minneapolis apartment building
Fatal Minneapolis shooting after robbery
The set-up:
Minneapolis police responded around 10:42 p.m. on Feb. 24 at the Abbott Apartments, located on the 100 block of East 18th Street in the Stevens Square neighborhood of Minneapolis.
Officers then found a dead man in the lobby who had been shot multiple times.
A witness to the shooting said he and the victim arrived at the apartments to “hang out” with Khayre, according to the criminal complaint.
The witness said he became suspicious when Khayre he left the room multiple times and “appeared to be stalling.”
The robbery:
The complaint states the witness reported three men then came into the room and yelled “Give me everything.” The men were armed with Glock handguns that had extended magazines as well as an AR-style rifle.
They then stole two guns from the witness, and one of them was handed to Khayre.
When the men demanded a Louis Vuitton bag from the victim, he refused, leading to a fight between them all.
The shooting:
The witness said when he walked toward them, Khayre pointed the witness’ stolen gun at him and racked it.
The witness then got out of the room, ran toward the lobby and heard multiple gunshots. He then saw two of the men flee out the back of the building, but didn’t see what direction they went in.
The victim was then found dead.
The aftermath:
Khayre was then identified by the witness in a photo lineup, according to the criminal complaint.
Police say video footage corroborated much of what the witness reported.
Khayre was on conditional release for a suspected carjacking at the time of the shooting, according to the complaint.
The Source: This story uses information gathered from a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County and previous FOX 9 reporting.
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