A violent incident occurred at a United States Postal Service (USPS) processing and distribution center in Tukwila, Washington on Tuesday afternoon, March 4, 2025, which resulted in the death of two postal workers. Investigators believe the incident was incited by a dispute between coworkers.
The Tukwila Police Department responded to reports of gunshots at the 10700 block of 27th Avenue South shortly before 4 p.m. Upon their arrival, officers found Edward Poloka, a 27-year-old postal worker, with a gunshot wound.
The Tukwila Police Department stated, “[Officers] immediately began rendering aid until fire and medic personnel arrived and took over life-saving efforts.” Unfortunately, despite these efforts, Poloka was declared dead at the scene.
According to witnesses, the shooting occurred in the loading dock area of the facility. Ninie Caliste, a truck driver who was present at the scene, arrived around 4 p.m. and reported hearing gunshots. People started exiting the warehouse rapidly, leading him to deduce a shooting was happening. He promptly left the area and was told by a bystander, “Somebody got shot in there!”
The suspected shooter, a 33-year-old fellow USPS employee, escaped from the scene immediately after the incident, triggering a search by law enforcement. The suspect was discovered hours later in a vehicle in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood.
Postal Inspector John Wiegand confirmed, “The suspect shot himself as officers moved in to detain him.” The suspect was promptly transported to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition but later succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators from the Major Crimes Unit of the Tukwila Police Department are working to understand the events leading to this fatal confrontation. Preliminary findings indicate that the two postal workers were acquainted prior to the shooting.
The incident has caused a ripple of concern through the local postal community and temporarily halted operations at the facility, a key hub for regional mail processing.
Poloka’s family remembered him in an interview with KIRO 7 as a jovial, grounded, and compassionate man. Two of Poloka’s sisters also work at the same facility.
“I’d go to work and I’d be able to walk the floor and go check up on him. See if he had food,” his sister Amata said. His sister Alice added that he was her transportation to work and they would often dine together after their shifts.
Following the shooting incident, USPS officials suspended mail processing operations on Tuesday night. This led to some delivery disruptions on Wednesday.
This tragic event comes amidst USPS efforts to improve its workplace violence prevention programs. The USPS has established systems to identify, report, and manage potential workplace conflicts to prevent them from escalating.
A report by the USPS Office of Inspector General states that the Postal Service has an extensive program to address employee assaults, including investigations and implementing necessary administrative actions. However, the report also pointed out areas in the program that require improvements, namely better recording of workplace violence incidents and more effective use of threat assessment teams.
With over 650,000 workers nationwide, the USPS is one of the largest civilian employers in the United States. The Tukwila processing and distribution center is one of several facilities responsible for sorting and delivering mail across the country.
The US Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement branch of the USPS, is assisting local authorities with the ongoing investigation.