In the summer of 1986, a quiet suburban post office in Edmond, Oklahoma, became the scene of a horrific act of violence that shattered the community's sense of peace. On the morning of August 20th, Leroy Orrin Phillips, a 42-year-old rural carrier, went to his job, unaware of the tragedy that was about to unfold. He was one of fourteen postal workers whose lives would be abruptly cut short in a deadly workplace shooting that would become one of the most infamous in U.S.
history.
The perpetrator was 44-year-old Patrick Sherrill, a part-time letter carrier who was reportedly facing dismissal. The day before the massacre, Sherrill had been reprimanded by two supervisors for his poor job performance. Enraged by this, he arrived at the post office the next morning armed with three semi-automatic pistols concealed in his mailbag. Shortly after 7:00 a.m., he entered the building, locked the doors behind him, and began his deadly rampage.
Sherrill moved through the facility, methodically shooting his co-workers. His first victim was one of the supervisors who had disciplined him the previous day. He then continued to fire indiscriminately at his colleagues, creating a scene of chaos and terror as employees scrambled for cover. Leroy Orrin Phillips was among those who were tragically killed during the violent outburst. The shooting spree lasted for approximately fifteen minutes, during which Sherrill killed fourteen people and injured six others.
As law enforcement swarmed the building, they found a scene of carnage. The suspect, Patrick Sherrill, was discovered among his victims, having taken his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. The incident, which became known as the Edmond Post Office Massacre, left an indelible mark on the community and the nation. Because the perpetrator committed suicide at the scene, there were no arrests or trials in connection with the death of Leroy Orrin Phillips and the other victims. The tragic event brought national attention to the issue of workplace violence and inspired the unfortunate phrase 'going postal.'
