A routine break outside a southeast side mail facility turned into a near-fatal attack earlier this month when a postal worker was stabbed at the U.S. Postal Service processing center on Brookville Road. Family members say the victim is 20-year-old mail handler Derrius Riggs, who remains hospitalized in critical condition, and court records show coworker Mark Cork Jr. has been preliminarily charged with aggravated battery and had bond set after the incident drew a fast response from postal officials and Indianapolis police.
Surveillance, Witnesses Say Breakroom Fight Escalated
IMPD detectives say surveillance video and court documents show several men walked up to Cork during an outdoor break, and a tense exchange turned into a fight when Riggs struck Cork, who then stabbed Riggs with a folding pocketknife, according to WTHR. A witness told investigators Riggs punched Cork multiple times before the knife appeared, and detectives said a cut to Cork’s hand appears to have come from his own pocketknife.
Family: "He Is Fighting for His Life"
Riggs was rushed to an area hospital with wounds to his neck and back and was listed in critical condition, family members said. "He is fighting for his life," a relative told WTHR. Detectives previously reported Riggs was intubated with a chest tube and had suffered a stroke that left the left side of his body paralyzed as of April 20.
Suspect Charged and Bond Set
Marion County court records show Cork was preliminarily charged with aggravated battery and had bond set at $12,000, according to AOL. Court paperwork cited in coverage says Cork told investigators he feared for his life and acted to defend himself, and prosecutors have referred aspects of the case to postal investigators while they continue collecting statements and reviewing video.
Where It Happened and How to Report Tips
The assault took place at the U.S. Postal Service Indianapolis Regional Processing and Distribution Center at 5505 Brookville Road, a facility address confirmed in a USPS operational notice (USPS notice). The Postal Inspection Service is asking anyone with information to report tips through its online reporting portal or by calling 1-877-876-2455 so investigators can piece together what led to the confrontation (Postal Inspection Service).
Legal Note
The charges against Cork are preliminary and could change as investigators and prosecutors review the evidence, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Because the stabbing happened on postal property, federal postal investigators are working alongside local police while the case moves through Marion County courts.
