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Police: Man charged with attempted homicide after firing shots at mail carrier in Pittsburgh

Police: Man charged with attempted homicide after firing shots at mail carrier in Pittsburgh
Police: Man charged with attempted homicide after firing shots at mail carrier in Pittsburgh 00:24

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A man is facing charges after allegedly firing multiple gunshots at a mail carrier in Pittsburgh.

Martinel Humphries, 28, has been charged following an incident that took place on Thursday in the city's Perry North neighborhood. 

According to court paperwork, Humphries is accused of confronting a mail carrier along Waldorf Street on Thursday afternoon and firing multiple shots with a rifle. 

Police say the mail carrier was stopped in front of a home by a man, later identified as Humphries, who demanded to know where his mail was. 

The mail carrier told the police that he didn't recognize Humphries and didn't believe that he lived on the street. Later during the confrontation, Humphries is accused of pulling a rifle from his vehicle and firing shots at the mail carrier.

On Oakdale Street, Humphries pulled into a driveway but could not get out after the owner blocked his car in with his own.

"The dude came back three times holding the gun asking my dad, 'Sir, can I have my car please?' And my dad was like, no, I'm not giving you a car because my dad thought he was trying to rob them," Sherri Kurtz said. 

Kurtz said Humphries ran down the street, where police encountered him on Woods Run Avenue. He was then detained by officers.

A witness from nearby Oakdale Street provided surveillance video with police, showing Humphries' vehicle driving by. Officers searched the area, finding an AK-47-style rifle at the scene. 

Humphries is facing numerous charges, including attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and firearms charges. He's currently awaiting arraignment before a judge.

Around the same time Thursday, one person was shot on McKnight Road. The 911 call appeared to have happened at the same time Humphries was running from the police. 

Ross Township police are investigating the possibility the two are connected. 

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