The Edmond post office shooting was a

mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...

that occurred in

Edmond, Oklahoma Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. The population was 94,428 according to the 2020 United States Census, making it the fifth largest ci ...

, on August 20, 1986. In less than fifteen minutes, postal worker Patrick Sherrill pursued and shot several coworkers, killing 14 and injuring another six, before committing suicide. The deadliest

workplace shooting Workplace violence (WPV), violence in the workplace (VIW), or occupational violence refers to violence, usually in the form of physical abuse or threat, that creates a risk to the health and safety of an employee or multiple employees. The Nationa ...

in U.S. history, Sherrill's attack inspired the American phrase "

going postal ''Going Postal'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 33rd book in his '' Discworld'' series, released in the United Kingdom on 25 September 2004. Unlike most of Pratchett's Discworld novels, ''Going Postal'' is divided in ...

Background

Sherrill was a relief carrier, meaning he was often required to work alternate routes on different days, a position dictated by his rank on the seniority list. His lack of a permanently assigned route meant that he lacked the same job stability as other USPS workers. Opinions vary concerning his job performance. Some reports portray him as an erratic, irritable worker; others claim he performed well and was being badgered by management. In any case, on the afternoon of August 19, 1986, supervisors Esser and Bland reprimanded Sherrill for his behavior.

Shooting

Shortly after 7:00 a.m. on August 20th, 1986, Patrick Sherrill killed Richard Esser, Jr., one of two supervisors who had verbally disciplined him the previous day. Sherrill then sought out Bill Bland, another supervisor who had reprimanded him. However, Bland had overslept that morning and arrived an hour late to work, by which time the shootings were already over. Not finding Bland, Sherrill then killed co-worker Paul Michael Rockne. Around 100 workers occupied the small facility at the time of the attack. Fourteen people died at the scene, and six others received wounds requiring hospitalization. The day's violence ended when Sherrill shot himself in the forehead.

Victims

Fourteen people were killed in the shooting, while six others were injured. The victims were: ;Killed * Patricia Ann Chambers, 41, part-time clerk * Judy Stephens Denney, 41, part-time clerk * Richard C. Esser Jr., 38, supervisor * Patricia A. Gabbard, 47, clerk * Jonna Ruth Gragert, 30, clerk * Patty Jean Husband, 48, supervisor * Betty Ann Jarred, 34, clerk * William F. Miller, 30, rural carrier * Kenneth W. Morey, 49, rural carrier * Leroy Orrin Phillips, 42, rural carrier * Jerry Ralph Pyle, 51, rural carrier * Paul Michael Rockne, 33, letter carrier * Thomas Wade Shader Jr., 31, part-time clerk * Patti Lou Welch, 27, clerk ;Injured * William Nimmo * Gene Bray * Michael H. Bigler * Steve Vick * Judy Walker * Joyce Ingram

Memorial

The Yellow Ribbon Memorial is a commemorative outdoor structure dedicated to the victims of the Edmond, Oklahoma, Post Office Shooting. Dedicated on May 29, 1989, it is located outside the post office's main entry to the south. The memorial contains the bronze statue of a man and a woman standing atop the fountain's center base and holding the ribbon of which the bow is attached to the base. To represent the fourteen victims killed in the shooting, the fountain contains fourteen water jets and a plaque on the front of the base listing their names. IAS OK000160. The memorial was built by the Edmond community and the United States Postal Services; the statue was created by sculptor Richard Muno (1939–2015). Community members have gathered at the memorial to commemorate the victims, especially on the 25th (2011) and 30th (2016) anniversaries. The memorial was surveyed in May 1996 as "well maintained". categorized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Over the years, the memorial slowly deteriorated with apparent "cracks in the concrete". Throughout the early 2010s, operations of the fountain were halted for, according to USPS, "a damaged water supply line". As of 2016, the fountain still operates seasonally.

Perpetrator

Patrick Henry Sherrill (November 13, 1941 – August 20, 1986) was born in

Watonga, Oklahoma Watonga is a city in Blaine County, Oklahoma. It is 70 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. The population was 5,111 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Blaine County. History Watonga is located on former Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian Res ...

, and had served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. He was considered an expert marksman and was a member of a

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

pistol team.

Subsequent postal shooting incidents

The 1986 Edmond incident was the first of several highly publicized postal shootings. * 1991,

Ridgewood, New Jersey Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 24,958,Royal Oak, Michigan Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Royal Oak is about north of Detroit's city limits. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 57,236. Royal Oak is located along t ...

* 1993, Dearborn, Michigan * 1993, Dana Point, California * 1995,

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair () is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. ...

* 1997,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

* 2006,

Goleta, California Goleta (; ; Spanish for "Schooner") is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated populated area in the county. As of the 2000 c ...

Footnotes

References

External links

"Going postal"

''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' (June 24, 2001)
"The loner: From shy football player to 'Crazy Pat
''The New York Times'' (August 22, 1986)

''EnidNews.com'' (August 20, 2006)
"15 die in post office rage"
'' The News-Journal'' (August 21, 1986)
"Former marine kills 14, self"
''

Lodi News-Sentinel The ''Lodi News-Sentinel'' is a daily newspaper based in Lodi, California, United States, and serving northern San Joaquin and southern Sacramento counties. History The ''Lodi News-Sentinel'' was founded in 1881 by Ralph Ellis, a former sher ...

'' (August 21, 1986) {{DEFAULTSORT:Edmond post office shooting Murder–suicides in Oklahoma Suicides by firearm in Oklahoma Mass murder in Oklahoma Attacks in the United States in 1986 1986 murders in the United States Deaths by firearm in Oklahoma Mass murder in 1986 Mass murder in the United States 1986 mass shootings in the United States 1986 in Oklahoma Workplace violence in the United States Edmond, Oklahoma Crimes in Oklahoma August 1986 events in the United States Mass shootings in Oklahoma Mass shootings in the United States 1986 suicides