On a tragic summer morning in Edmond, Oklahoma, 41-year-old Patricia Ann Chambers, a part-time clerk at the local post office, found her life cut short in an act of workplace violence that would stun the nation. On August 20, 1986, a fellow postal worker, Patrick Sherrill, entered the facility armed with multiple firearms and began a shooting rampage that would claim the lives of 14 people before he took his own life.
The horrific event, which unfolded in a matter of minutes, left an indelible mark on the community and the country, forever changing the sense of security within the postal service.
The perpetrator of this senseless act was 44-year-old Patrick Sherrill, a relief carrier who had been reprimanded by supervisors the day before the shooting. It is believed that his anger over the disciplinary action, coupled with a fear of being fired, motivated his deadly assault. Shortly after 7:00 a.m., Sherrill, dressed in his letter carrier's uniform, entered the post office and began firing indiscriminately at his colleagues. The attack was swift and brutal, leaving a scene of unimaginable carnage.
Among the victims was Patricia Ann Chambers, who was working her shift as a part-time clerk. She, along with thirteen of her coworkers, became unintended targets of Sherrill's rage. The shooting spree lasted for approximately 15 minutes, during which Sherrill moved through the building, shooting anyone he encountered. The chaos and terror that filled the post office that morning ended when Sherrill turned a gun on himself, committing suicide as law enforcement began to enter the building.
The aftermath of the Edmond post office shooting was a period of deep mourning for the families of the victims and the entire community. The incident was, at the time, one of the deadliest mass shootings by a single gunman in United States history and brought national attention to the issue of workplace violence. Because the suspect, Patrick Sherrill, took his own life at the scene, there were no arrests made in connection with the deaths of Patricia Ann Chambers and the other 13 innocent victims. The motive was determined to be revenge against the supervisors and the postal service.
