DECATUR, Ga. -- The family of a postal worker shot and killed outside of a Decatur post office Monday night says the father of the victim's baby made unusual comments before the shooting.
Authorities said the gunman shot the worker in the parking lot of the post office at 2724 Wesley Chapel Road, just south of I-20 outside the perimeter.
The Postal Service identified the shooting victim as 22-year-old Tyrika Terrell. She was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and later passed away.
Family members said Terrell was the mother of a 6-month-old baby girl. She was described as hardworking, smart, and beautiful by her family.
According to Tyrika Terrell's mother, Euginia Terrell, her daughter separated from her boyfriend about a month ago. Euginia said the boyfriend made strange comments to her on the phone on Monday.
"He said, 'I’m sure you’re going to take good care of Kyrra, g-mama. You’re going to take good care of Kyrra. That is my baby girl,'" Euginia Terrell said.
Police have not released any information about the shooter. Workers at a business near the post office said a man was acting strange in the moments leading up to the shooting. Witnesses said the man was sitting in the front of the store for almost an hour. At some point, one of the employees said he asked to use the phone and she heard him say, "I'm at the post office."
"You could tell he was up to no good," one worker said. "Especially when he started peeping out.”
The man kept looking out the window, the witness said, and eventually got up and walked towards the post office's loading dock area.
“He turned around the corner. The next thing I know, I heard pow pow," the witness said.
U.S. Postal Inspector Clifton Bell said that Tyrika had started with the postal service in October.
"The Postal Service would like to offer its thoughts, prayers, and condolences to the victim’s family and friends," Bell said in a statement. "We are shocked and saddened about the events that took place on yesterday."
Family members said that her health insurance hadn't taken effect yet, which it making it difficult to plan her funeral.
“It is going to be devastating this Christmas," Euginia Terrell said. "It is going to be rough for me, it is going to be really rough."
The DeKalb County Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspectors are investigating the shooting. They have not released the name of a suspect, but said they are working to track down a specific individual. Surveillance cameras that were located throughout the laundromat have already been turned over to police.
