INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis man guilty of killing United States Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier Angela Summers in April 2020 has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
Tony Cushingberry, 24, was sentenced after pleading guilty to murder and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court documents, on April 27, 2020, at approximately 3:57 p.m., Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers were called to North Denny Street in Indianapolis in reference to a person shot. Officers arrived at the scene and located a United States Postal Service (USPS) employee, later identified as Summers, shot and laying on the front porch of the residence.
Ms. Summers was working as a letter carrier and was delivering mail on her route at the time she was shot.
Cushingberry "aggressively approached" Summers in the 400 block of North Denny Street and pursued her to a neighbor's porch. It was there Summers sprayed Cushingberry in defense. In response, he shot her once in the chest and then fled the scene.
Summers was later transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Cushingberry eventually admitted to police that he shot her.
“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. No term of imprisonment will bring Angela back, but the sentence imposed today demonstrates that those who kill will face judgment and accountability. I commend the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, ATF, IMPD, and our federal prosecutors for their efforts to seek justice in this case.”
Cushingberry will serve three years of supervised probation upon his release.
