Postal worker killed in Collier; alleged shooter in federal custody
A West End man gunned down a mail carrier in Collier on Thursday morning because, according to his statement to police, he thought the carrier had poisoned him and his family when they were neighbors, federal agents said.
Eric M. Kortz, 53, is charged in federal court with killing Louis Vignone as he sat in his mail truck.
U.S. postal inspectors said Mr. Kortz blocked Mr. Vignone’s truck with his van, got out and shot him multiple times, including once in the head. He then drove to the Carnegie police station to tell officers he’d shot someone.
According to an affidavit by Inspector Erik Bohin, Mr. Kortz later told investigators that he believed Mr. Vignone and his family had poisoned him and his family with cyanide when they were previously neighbors. The affidavit did not elaborate on that claim or provide details as to where they once lived.
Mr. Kortz is charged with murder of a United States employee along with possession and discharging of a gun during a crime of violence.
He appeared briefly on Thursday afternoon by Zoom before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Reed Eddy, who ordered him detained in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Tuesday.
His public defender, Andrew Lipson, said in court that Mr. Kortz has no job and no dependents. The public defender’s office in Pittsburgh has a policy of not talking to the media.
Allegheny County police said Mr. Vignone was shot shortly after 10 a.m. on Suburban Avenue near Columbia Avenue in the Rennerdale area of Collier.
Neighbor Ken Bock, whose wife heard the gunfire, said he was shocked at hearing about such violence in Rennerdale, which he described as a “pictureperfect town.”
He said Mr. Vignone had been delivering in the neighborhood for about 15 years.
“He didn’t seem like anybody could have a grudge against him,” he said. “Just seemed like a real nice guy. I talked to him briefly a couple of times when I’d be cutting the grass and he’d be delivering the mail.”
A contractor working on Mr. Bock’s shed heard the gunshots and rushed to the mail truck to provide medical help, but Mr. Vignone was dead.
Mr. Vignone was wearing his postal uniform and working his regular shift as a carrier when he was shot. Investigators found a gun and seven spent shell casings in a yard near the mail truck.
Shortly after the shooting, Mr. Kortz arrived at the Carnegie police station and “stated that he shot someone and wanted to turn himself in,” according to Inspector Bohin’s affidavit.
Mr. Kortz was taken to county police headquarters, where he told investigators that he shot Mr. Vignone, the affidavit said.
Mr. Kortz knew where Mr. Vignone worked and said he located Mr. Vignone on his mail route, and drove his van toward Vignone’s truck to force him to stop. He then said he “went to put some bullets in him,” according to the affidavit.
Mr. Kortz said he dropped his gun at the scene, got into his van and drove to the Carnegie police station to turn himself in, Inspector Bohin said.
After someone has been charged by complaint in federal court, the U.S. attorney’s office has 30 days to bring a grand jury indictment.
Shelia Kirkpatrick lived in the same neighborhood with Mr. Kortz and Mr. Vignone when they both lived in the West End. She found out that Mr. Kortz was charged with killing Mr. Vignone through the “closeknit” neighborhood on Tyndall Street, and through broadcasts in the news.
She said that Mr. Vignone and his family moved from the West End to Moon a little over three years ago. His wife told Ms. Kirkpatrick that it was to “start fresh,” she said.
“[They] were such a wonderful family, a very compassionate family, very tight-knit,” Ms. Kirkpatrick said of the Vignones. “My heart goes out to them.”
Ms. Kirkpatrick, who has lived in her Tyndall Street home for six years, described Mr. Vignone as a hard worker, and someone who would always check in on other neighbors if they needed help.
She said she did not know Mr. Kortz very well. Ms. Kirkpatrick said that Mr. Kortz and his brother, Steve, were given two houses on Tybee Street, which were adjacent to Mr. Vignone and his family.
There were some rumors that Mr. Vignone and Mr. Kortz did not get along, Ms. Kirkpatrick said.
“This is a hard-working neighborhood,” Ms. Kirkpatrick said. “Lots of families live here. We’re all just thinking of Lou.”
Meanwhile, Collier was quiet Thursday evening, reflective of the shooting that morning.
Enzo Tristani of Collier didn’t see the shooting, but heard the gunshots. Mr. Tristani remembered Mr. Vignone as being “a good guy.”
“He was a nice postman,” Mr. Tristani said.