Patrick Sherrill and the 1986 Edmond Post Office Massacre
Patrick Sherrill
Patrick Henry Sherrill was an American postal employee who murdered fourteen coworkers at the United States Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986. The attack lasted less than fifteen minutes and became one of the deadliest workplace shootings in United States history. Six additional postal employees were wounded before Sherrill ended the massacre by killing himself.
Sherrill was born on November 13, 1941, in Watonga, Oklahoma. He served in the United States Marine Corps and later belonged to the Oklahoma Air National Guard. While in the National Guard, he participated on a pistol team and became an experienced marksman. People who knew him frequently described him as quiet, isolated and socially awkward. He never married and reportedly had few close personal relationships.
Employment at the Edmond Post Office
Sherrill worked as a part-time relief letter carrier at the Edmond Post Office. Unlike employees with permanently assigned routes, he was sent wherever additional coverage was needed. The position required him to learn different routes and adjust regularly to changing assignments.
Accounts of his work performance differed. Some coworkers believed he was a competent employee who was treated harshly by management, while others described him as temperamental, unpredictable and prone to making delivery mistakes. Supervisors reportedly received complaints that Sherrill had misdirected mail, delivered items late and behaved discourteously toward customers.
On August 19, 1986, supervisors Richard C. Esser Jr. and William Bland confronted Sherrill about his performance. They directed him to report to work the following morning for another discussion that could have resulted in additional disciplinary action. Some accounts state that Sherrill believed he was about to be fired, although postal officials later disputed whether a final decision to terminate him had been made.
The Morning of August 20, 1986
Shortly before 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 20, 1986, Sherrill arrived at the Edmond Post Office on West First Street. Approximately one hundred employees were inside preparing mail for delivery. Sherrill carried three semiautomatic handguns and extra ammunition concealed in a postal bag. His weapons included two .45-caliber pistols and a .22-caliber pistol.
After entering the building, Sherrill secured or blocked several doors, limiting the ability of employees to escape. He then approached the work area and began shooting. His first intended targets appear to have included the supervisors who had disciplined him the previous afternoon.
Sherrill found Richard Esser inside the facility and fatally shot him. He also searched for William Bland, but Bland had overslept and arrived late that morning. His absence probably saved his life. Unable to locate Bland, Sherrill continued moving through the postal workroom and fired at other employees.
The Attack Inside the Post Office
The attack unfolded rapidly among sorting stations, offices and mail-processing equipment. Employees attempted to hide beneath worktables, behind machinery and inside storage areas. Others escaped through doors, windows or loading areas. Witnesses later described confusion as workers initially mistook the gunfire for machinery or construction noise.
Sherrill moved through the building with deliberate speed, shooting employees he encountered. Some victims were struck while working at their assigned stations, while others were attacked as they tried to flee or take cover. Fourteen postal employees were killed and six were wounded.
Emergency calls brought Edmond police officers, firefighters and medical personnel to the post office. Officers surrounded the building while surviving employees emerged and reported that the gunman was still inside. The shooting had largely ended by the time police prepared to enter.
At approximately 7:15 a.m., as law-enforcement officers closed in, Sherrill used one of his pistols to shoot himself in the head. He died inside the post office. The entire attack had lasted approximately ten to fifteen minutes.
Victims Killed on August 20, 1986
- Patricia Ann Chambers, 41 – A postal employee killed inside the Edmond Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986.
- Judy Stephens Denney, 41 – A part-time postal clerk killed inside the Edmond Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986.
- Richard C. Esser Jr., 38 – A postal supervisor who had participated in reprimanding Sherrill on August 19. He was killed inside the Edmond Post Office on August 20, 1986.
- Patricia A. Gabbard, 47 – A postal clerk killed inside the Edmond Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986.
- Jonna Ruth Gragert, 30 – A postal employee killed inside the Edmond Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986.
- Patty Jean Husband, 48 – A postal supervisor killed inside the Edmond Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986.
- Betty Ann Jarred, 34 – A postal clerk killed inside the Edmond Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986.
- William F. Miller, 30 – A postal employee killed inside the Edmond Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986.
- Kenneth W. Morey, 49 – A postal employee killed inside the Edmond Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986.
- Leroy Orrin Phillips, 42 – A postal employee killed inside the Edmond Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986.
- Jerry Ralph Pyle, 51 – A postal employee killed inside the Edmond Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986.
- Paul Michael Rockne, 33 – A postal employee and grandson of famed college football coach Knute Rockne. He was killed inside the Edmond Post Office on August 20, 1986.
- Thomas Wade Shader Jr., 31 – A postal employee killed inside the Edmond Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986.
- Patti Lou Welch, 27 – A postal employee killed inside the Edmond Post Office in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986.
Wounded Employees and Emergency Response
Six additional employees suffered gunshot wounds during the attack. Police officers and emergency medical teams established a treatment area near the post office and transported the wounded to hospitals in the Oklahoma City area. Other survivors were treated for shock, falls and injuries sustained while escaping.
Because officers initially did not know whether Sherrill had taken hostages or whether additional gunmen were present, they approached the building cautiously. After entering, they discovered the victims throughout the work area and found Sherrill dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigation and Possible Motive
Investigators found no evidence that anyone else had participated in the attack. Sherrill had brought the weapons and ammunition from home and appeared to have planned the assault in advance. His decision to conceal the guns, enter during the morning shift and restrict access to the building indicated preparation rather than an entirely spontaneous outburst.
The disciplinary meeting on August 19 was considered the immediate catalyst. Sherrill apparently believed that Esser and Bland were threatening his employment and humiliating him. Investigators also examined his history of workplace conflicts, isolation and resentment. No written manifesto or detailed explanation conclusively established every aspect of his motive.
Sherrill’s search for Bland and his immediate attack on Esser suggested that revenge against management was a central objective. However, most of the people he killed had not participated in the reprimand. His decision to continue shooting coworkers demonstrated that the attack expanded into indiscriminate workplace mass murder.
Impact on Edmond
The massacre devastated Edmond, a growing community north of Oklahoma City. Many residents knew someone who worked at the post office or had personal connections to one of the victims. Funerals and memorial services were held throughout the area as families, postal employees and community members attempted to understand the sudden loss of fourteen people.
The post office temporarily closed while investigators processed the building. When operations resumed, surviving employees faced the difficulty of returning to the location where their friends and coworkers had been killed. Counseling and other support services were provided, although awareness of long-term trauma following workplace violence was far more limited in 1986 than it later became.
The Yellow Ribbon Memorial
The Edmond community and the United States Postal Service later created the Yellow Ribbon Memorial outside the post office. Dedicated on May 29, 1989, the memorial features a bronze sculpture, a fountain and a plaque bearing the names of the fourteen murdered employees.
Fourteen streams of water were incorporated into the fountain to represent the fourteen victims. The memorial became the central location for anniversary observances, private reflection and community remembrance. Survivors, relatives and postal employees have continued to gather there to honor those killed on August 20, 1986.
National Legacy
The Edmond massacre brought national attention to workplace violence and the handling of troubled or disgruntled employees. Government agencies, criminologists and employers examined whether warning signs had been overlooked and whether stronger procedures could identify potentially dangerous workplace conflicts before they escalated.
The attack was followed by other highly publicized killings involving postal employees during the late 1980s and 1990s. Those incidents contributed to the expression “going postal,” which became a slang term for an extreme workplace outburst. Families of postal victims and many postal employees have criticized the phrase because it trivializes genuine acts of violence and the suffering of those affected.
Patrick Sherrill died on August 20, 1986, at the age of 44. His massacre remained one of the most notorious workplace killings in American history. The lasting emphasis in Edmond, however, has been placed on the fourteen employees whose lives were taken, the six people who survived their wounds and the families and coworkers permanently affected by the attack.
