Longmont Shooting: Ex-Girlfriend Devan Schreiner Arrested In Mail Carrier's Murder

LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4) - An arrest has been made in the deadly shooting of a USPS postal worker in Longmont. Police say they arrested the victim's 26-year-old ex-girlfriend. Devan Schreiner, of Fort Collins, was arrested on charges of first-degree murder and is being held at the Boulder County Jail.

The fatal shooting happened at midday on Wednesday in the Somerset Meadows neighborhood. Police say a person approached the mail carrier, later identified as Jason Schaefer, while he was at a group of neighborhood mailboxes on Heatherhill Street by Renaissance Drive, shot him several times and then ran off. That suspect was reportedly last wearing dark clothing, a hooded sweatshirt and a blue mask. Schaefer died at the scene.

The FBI and the United States Postal Service joined Longmont police in the search for the suspect, which came to an end overnight.

Schreiner was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday afternoon but the hearing was vacated. She's now not scheduled to make an appearance in Boulder County Court until Tuesday. She does not appear to have a previous criminal history.

"This crime appears to be an isolated incident and an act of domestic violence," Longmont Deputy Police Chief Jeff Satur wrote in a press release. "We are withholding the arrest photo at this time, pending additional witness interviews."

Satur said searches of the suspect's home in Fort Collins, as well as at the home of an acquaintance of her's in Loveland, were taking place on Thursday morning.

RELATED: Postal Workers Stage Procession On Slain Mail Carrier's Route In Longmont

Satur did not elaborate on details of the relationship between Schreiner and the shooting victim. However, online public records indicate Schreiner was involved in an ongoing child custody dispute with a 33-year-old Longmont man. A motion in the dispute was filed Monday.

Following the shooting, flowers were brought to the scene in the southwestern part of the city, and a spokesman for the USPS talked about how the workers mean a lot to the people they serve.

"Somebody like this is part of your family and that's really what we are in this community," David Rupert said.

Grief counselors are now helping other employees.

Federal investigators got involved in the investigation on Wednesday because the killing involved a postal worker, and it may be a federal crime. On Wednesday night Longmont police said they hadn't yet established which authority -- state or federal -- might handle the case.

After the scene cleared neighbors retrieved their mail.

"It's so sad this poor person was just doing their job," said Sedira Stager. "You're in a peaceful area, beautiful neighborhood, you would never think once that this would happen to you."

She said she'd had many wonderful conversations with mail carriers there.

"I'm really just heartbroken for them just doing their daily job."

One delivery driver working the neighborhood told CBS4 he had, "never really had encounters on the street or anything like that." Chase Marshall added, "It's definitely a shame too that this happened, whatever the reason."