The Everett shooting unfolded where public employees, contract drivers and residents routinely compete for access while completing daily deliveries.
EVERETT, Wash. — For six years, a postal carrier serving an Everett apartment route said he managed the same recurring problem: Other people needed to cross a cramped mailroom while he had the mailbox panels open and was placing residents’ mail inside.
The solution was ordinary. A sign directed residents and package drivers to another entrance until the postal work was finished. Most drivers waited or went around, the carrier told investigators. On Oct. 3, 2025, prosecutors say that routine arrangement collapsed when delivery driver Blake Michael Kuhlman entered the room, exchanged shoves with the carrier and shot him in the face. The carrier survived but lost an eye, turning a brief dispute between workers into a federal attempted-murder case.
The permanent injury is the clearest consequence of the encounter, yet little has been released publicly about the carrier’s recovery. Federal reports did not describe whether he returned to work, required additional surgery or received long-term assistance. The accessible records focus instead on the criminal investigation and Kuhlman’s statements. That leaves the victim’s experience largely represented by the account he gave from the hospital: He had been performing his regular delivery when an unfamiliar driver ignored the access restriction and moved into the narrow passage.
The carrier said he told Kuhlman that no one could pass through while the mailboxes were open. He described Kuhlman as continuing forward, pushing him back and prompting a defensive shove in return. Prosecutors allege that Kuhlman then pulled a revolver and fired at close range. The carrier told investigators that the driver stood above him briefly after the shooting. The records do not describe residents entering the room during the immediate aftermath or say whether any mail was disturbed.
Kuhlman’s version places the carrier as the aggressor. He told Everett detectives that he felt trapped and believed the man was preparing to tackle him. Police records say Kuhlman admitted firing but insisted he did so to protect himself. A witness reported that the men argued and that the postal worker pushed Kuhlman while demanding to know why Kuhlman had shoved him. The witness then saw the driver draw a handgun and shoot, according to the local arrest report.
The competing statements will be assessed in court, but the setting illustrates how different delivery systems overlap at apartment buildings. Postal carriers are federal employees with authorized access to mail receptacles. Drivers delivering goods for private companies may be employees of contractors working under schedules and rules set by separate businesses. Residents may enter the same common areas. Building managers must balance access with the security of open mailboxes and the physical space needed for workers to complete their routes.
The public records do not identify earlier violent incidents at the West Mall Place Apartments or suggest that the building had been warned that either worker posed a danger. The carrier said he had not encountered serious trouble with other package drivers during his years on the route. He also said he had never met Kuhlman. Prosecutors have not alleged that the two arranged to meet or that their confrontation grew out of a personal dispute unrelated to the deliveries.
Amazon later told a Seattle television station that Kuhlman worked for a delivery service partner rather than directly for the online retailer. Under that system, independently operated companies employ drivers who deliver Amazon packages. Amazon said carrying weapons while making deliveries violates its policy and that partner businesses must conduct background checks. The available court documents do not name Kuhlman’s contractor, explain its hiring decision or indicate what information was available during any screening.
Police said the equipment discovered during Kuhlman’s arrest went beyond the revolver used in the shooting. Investigators reported finding another handgun, extended-capacity magazines, a fixed-blade knife and body armor beneath his delivery shirt. Another revolver and ammunition were found in the vehicle, according to reports based on court records. No evidence reviewed for this article indicates that the contractor or apartment management knew he had brought those items onto the property.
Kuhlman allegedly told detectives that he was highly familiar with firearms and had taken related courses. He said he once hoped to work as a bail-enforcement officer. According to the federal complaint, he selected the compact revolver because it was quick to deploy and loaded it with pellet-style ammunition that he believed could stop an attacker without requiring precise aim. Those explanations are part of the government’s evidence but do not establish by themselves that he went to the complex intending to harm someone.
Investigators also reported that Kuhlman voiced fears extending beyond the confrontation. He allegedly suggested the postal carrier might be connected to organized crime and said he believed the FBI was targeting him. A defense lawyer in the original state proceeding asked a judge to pause the case for a mental health evaluation. Publicly available sources do not provide a complete account of the evaluation, and the federal docket materials reviewed do not show whether competency or mental-condition evidence remains disputed.
The case began under Washington law. Snohomish County prosecutors charged Kuhlman with first-degree assault, and a judge initially set bail at $1 million after prosecutors described him as a danger to the public. He remained in local custody for months. In July 2026, the state charge was dismissed as the U.S. Attorney’s Office moved the prosecution into federal court. Local jail records show his county custody ended July 7 in connection with a transfer rather than an ordinary release into the community.
Federal jurisdiction follows from the carrier’s employment. Postal Service workers are among the federal employees protected by statutes covering assaults committed while they are performing official duties. Federal prosecutors accused Kuhlman of attempted murder of a federal employee, assault of a federal employee and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Moving the case did not decide whether the self-defense claim is valid, and the complaint remains an accusation rather than proof.
The federal charges also place the carrier’s work status at the center of the case rather than treating it only as background. The alleged encounter occurred because the carrier was sorting mail and controlling access to open postal equipment. Prosecutors can argue that the shooting arose directly from those duties. The defense can still challenge the carrier’s conduct during the physical exchange and argue that federal employment did not give him authority to use unlawful force against another worker.
The case may eventually address only Kuhlman’s criminal liability, not every workplace-safety question raised by the shooting. Criminal courts generally do not decide whether building layouts should be changed, whether contractor screening was sufficient or whether delivery companies should coordinate access more closely. No public record reviewed for this report identified a civil lawsuit or a regulatory action arising from the shooting. Any such proceeding would involve different legal standards and potentially different parties.
A Western District of Washington criminal docket was filed July 15 under case number CR26-127. The court publicly scheduled a July 23 arraignment in Seattle, though accessible sources reviewed Aug. 4 did not establish the plea entered, Kuhlman’s current detention status or the next hearing date. The criminal case continues to center on a few seconds of disputed conduct, while the carrier lives with an injury suffered during what began as a routine stop on an established mail route.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 4, 2026.