Shots Fired At Pittsburgh Mail Carrier: Man Gets Lengthy Prison Term

PITTSBURGH, PA — A man who was convicted of shooting at a mail carrier for no apparent reason and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon will spend the next 10 years in prison.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh said Thursday that Martinel Humprhies, 30, of Pittsburgh, fired four shots from a semi-automatic pistol at a mail carrier in January 2023. The bullets missed the mail carrier, who fell to the ground upon seeing the gun and fled to a nearby home.

Humphries fled and was apprehended soon by police.

Humphries has a lengthy criminal history, including two separate firearms convictions in 2015 relating to arrests in 2013 and 2015, and a 2021 conviction for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, for which he still was serving a term of federal supervised release at the time he shot at the mail carrier. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.

“Federal employees must be able to work without fearing for their personal safety,” Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of the defendant’s violent act, shooting at a mail carrier who was in the middle of his route."