Man accused of killing SC mail carrier on delivery route with 'semi-automatic rifle'

KINGSTREE, S.C. — Authorities in South Carolina have arrested a man accused of shooting and killing a U.S. Postal Service worker who was on her delivery route.

Police said 22-year-old Trevor Seward was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with the murder of Irene Pressley.

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U.S. Postal Inspection Service spokeswoman Jessica Adams said 64-year-old Pressley was killed while she was working. She was found dead inside her vehicle on a rural road in Williamsburg County.

Pressley had worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 22 years.

It was a fingerprint on a piece of mail that tied Seward to the crime and forensic analysis determined it was his, according to arrest warrants.

The warrant also said investigators believe Seward shot Pressley several times with a semi-automatic rifle. Witnesses told police they saw Seward near the area with an "AR-15 type" rifle before the shooting.

Investigators reported finding several spent .223-caliber ammunition casings at the scene, which are commonly used in AR-15s and other similar semi-automatic weapons.

Federal officials said 70 agents from multiple law enforcement agencies worked to find the suspect in this case.

Associated Press