On the cold winter morning of December 20, 1997, the holiday rush at the main post office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was shattered by an act of shocking violence. Russell Smith, a 42-year-old male employee, was shot and killed during his shift. The festive spirit of the season was abruptly replaced by terror as gunfire echoed through the bustling facility where approximately 1,500 people were at work.
The assailant was identified as Anthony J. DeCulit, a 37-year-old co-worker of Smith.
Earlier in the day, DeCulit had been reprimanded by his supervisor, Joan Chitwood, for sleeping on the job. In an act of tragic retribution, DeCulit brought a 9mm handgun to the workplace. He opened fire, fatally wounding Russell Smith, with whom he reportedly had a strained relationship and was not on speaking terms. Smith was struck in the head, back, and arm.
DeCulit's rampage did not end with Smith. He also shot and wounded two other colleagues. Supervisor Joan Chitwood was grievously injured, shot in the right eye, but ultimately survived after surgery. Another co-worker, Roderick Patterson, was treated for a bullet wound to his foot. The horrific event concluded when DeCulit turned the gun on himself, ending his own life at the scene of the tragedy.
In the aftermath, as the community grappled with the senseless violence, questions arose about the workplace environment at the post office. The president of the local NAACP chapter suggested that racial tensions may have been a contributing factor, noting that DeCulit was Black and his victims were white. It was reported that numerous complaints regarding racial issues had been filed by postal workers in Milwaukee over the years. Because the perpetrator took his own life, there were no arrests made in connection with the death of Russell Smith.
