A 52-year-old male U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, Antonio Williams, was shot and killed in Shreveport, Louisiana, while on his mail delivery route on the morning of June 22, 2019. The incident occurred in the 1100 block of Dudley Drive shortly after 11:00 a.m. Williams was approaching an apartment to deliver mail when he was shot. He sustained at least one gunshot wound to his upper body and was transported to Ochsner LSU Health hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Investigators from the Shreveport Police Department, along with federal agencies including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and the DEA, quickly launched an investigation. Later that same day, authorities arrested 32-year-old Michael Gentry, a resident of the apartment building where the shooting took place. Gentry was charged with one count of second-degree murder. Investigators determined that Gentry fired a semi-automatic rifle through the front door of his apartment as Williams approached, striking the mail carrier twice. The initial investigation suggested there had been no prior dispute between the two men. However, it was later reported that Gentry had asked Williams not to leave packages outside his apartment due to concerns about theft. During a search of Gentry's home, officers discovered methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Following his arrest, Michael Gentry was booked into the Shreveport City Jail. In December 2019, a federal grand jury indicted Gentry on charges of second-degree murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death. A doctor who examined Gentry determined that he had a psychotic disorder but was competent to stand trial. On March 21, 2022, Gentry pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder charge. As part of a plea agreement, he was sentenced on August 3, 2022, to 40 years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The state-level charges were expected to be dismissed as the federal prosecution took precedence.
