Patrick Sherrill:Going Postal
-On August 20th, 1986, Patrick Sherrill opened fire on the Edmond Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, killing 14 before taking his own life.
-Patrick Henry Sherrill was born November 13th, 1941, in Watonga, Oklahoma. Previous to his career in the Postal Service, Sherrill had served in the United States Marine Corps. He was also a member of a National Guard pistol team. Interestingly, and perhaps ominously, Sherrill was considered a sharpshooter.
-Sherrill’s motive for committing the shooting was a combination of intense anger and fear of losing his job. His position as a Relief Carrier meant he lacked the job security of other positions, which contributed to his stressed, angry mental state. Sherrill harbored a deep anger towards his supervisors, who he saw as unfair and cruel. The environment he worked in was described as intensely stressful by himself and others. His supervisors would often reprimand him for innocuous or minor things, and this anger boiled over into the shooting. The day before the shooting, Sherrill was reprimanded for his behavior, and it is believed that this was the final straw that pushed him over the edge. The shooting began around 7 am, when Sherrill, armed with two 1911s and a Ruger pistol, entered the Edmond post office. Sherrill moved deliberately through the building, shooting indiscriminately, only sparing one person, Tracy Sanchez. After killing 14 people, Sherrill doubled back until he was in front of the lobby before taking his own life.
-This shooting lead to the phrase “Going Postal” being coined. Going Postal refers to committing mass murder at one’s workplace. The Edmond shooting is believed to have inspired other, similar shootings, such as the Royal Oak shooting in 1991 and the Xerox Shooting in 1999.
Pictured:Patrick Sherrill, a map of Sherrill’s route during the massacre, and a newspaper article about the shooting.