Person of interest in USPS letter carrier’s killing in DeKalb arrested

A person of interest was taken into custody Tuesday in the death of a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, officials said.

Dequavious Graves, 31, was working a mail route in DeKalb County when he was fatally shot near his carrier vehicle in the 2800 block of Oxford Drive, U.S. Postal Inspector Breslin Steverson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an email. The shooting, described by Steverson as “not accidental,” happened shortly before 7 p.m. on Feb. 12.

Nahjel Williams was arrested on a warrant filed by Atlanta police related to his alleged involvement in a separate, earlier killing, officials said.

“At this moment he has not been charged federally, as he is being held on his previous murder warrant,” Steverson said.

Tuesday evening, officials with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI executed a search warrant at a residence near the site of the shooting. Williams is believed to have lived at the house, but authorities clarified it was not necessarily his permanent residence.

During a news conference in the area, a USPIS official confirmed Williams was taken into custody in Atlanta before the search warrant was executed.

A $250,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person involved in Graves’ death. Authorities said the amount is standard for homicide investigations involving USPS employees who are on duty.