Local

‘A reprehensible crime.’ Brothers who shot Charlotte mail carrier sentenced to prison

Edward McDaniel
Edward McDaniel WBTV

Two brothers convicted of trying to kill a Charlotte postal carrier as he delivered mail were sentenced to years in prison on Wednesday.

The postal worker, Edward Douglas McDaniel, was seriously hurt after being shot on Archer Avenue in August 2017, The Charlotte Observer previously reported. That is off Clanton Road.

U.S. District Judge Robert Conrad Jr. sentenced Rashawn Donnell Williams, 31, to 28 years in prison and his brother, Dion Lamar Williams, 28, to 15 years in prison, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release.

The brothers, both of Charlotte, previously pleaded guilty to attempted murder of a federal employee. Rashawn Williams also pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm during, in relation to, and in furtherance of a crime of violence, prosecutors said.

“This was a reprehensible crime, and the punishment reflects the severity of the violent act,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray said in a statement.

Police said McDaniel, a grandfather, had gotten into an argument before he was shot several times, WBTV reported at the time. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information in the case.

Police and prosecutors never released a motive for the shooting.

“My father was gunned down in a senseless act of violence,” his son, Jeff McDaniel, told WBTV at the time. “Imagine yourself in this situation.”

Related Stories from Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak
The Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER