Emanuel Burl Patterson

Mass Murderer

Emanuel Burl Patterson and the 2003 Huntsville Employment Agency Massacre

Background

Emanuel Burl Patterson was a 23-year-old temporary laborer who committed a mass shooting at a day-labor employment agency in Huntsville, Alabama, on February 25, 2003. The attack killed four men and wounded another person, transforming an ordinary morning in which unemployed workers were waiting for job assignments into one of the deadliest workplace shootings in Huntsville's history. Patterson regularly visited the Labor Ready Inc. office at 2709 Governors Drive Southwest. The company connected temporary workers with short-term manual-labor assignments in construction, light industry, warehouse operations and other businesses. Those who gathered at the office were generally hoping to be selected for work and paid at the end of the day. Approximately 15 people were reportedly inside the office on the morning of the shooting. Patterson was among the men waiting for an assignment. Witnesses later described an argument involving compact discs, money and a portable CD player. Some accounts indicated that several men mocked Patterson, laughed at him or pushed him into a corner. The disagreement appeared minor, but Patterson responded with sudden and extreme violence.

The Shooting at Labor Ready

At approximately 6:30 a.m. on February 25, 2003, the argument inside the crowded Labor Ready lobby escalated. Patterson produced a handgun and began firing at the men around him. The confined office offered little room for those inside to escape, and the sound of gunfire immediately sent workers scrambling for doors, closets and any available cover. Patterson fired repeatedly as people attempted to flee. Three victims were killed inside the office. A fourth man was critically wounded and later died during emergency surgery. Another victim was shot in the leg but survived. Benjamin Ferguson, 47, reportedly attempted to escape the building during the shooting but was struck and killed. Billy Eugene Knox Sr., 61, and his 22-year-old son, Billy Eugene Knox Jr., were both fatally shot. The fourth victim, 46-year-old David Seiler of Tennessee, survived long enough to be taken for medical treatment but died during surgery. One witness, Patricia Johnson, later said Patterson pointed the handgun directly at her and pulled the trigger. The weapon failed to fire. Johnson ran into a closet, where several other terrified people were hiding. The malfunction may have saved her life and prevented the death toll from becoming even higher.

Victims

• Billy Eugene Knox Sr., 61 Killed on February 25, 2003, inside the Labor Ready temporary employment agency at 2709 Governors Drive Southwest in Huntsville, Alabama. His son was also killed in the attack.
• Billy Eugene Knox Jr., 22 Killed on February 25, 2003, at the Labor Ready office in Huntsville. He died alongside his father, Billy Knox Sr.
• Benjamin Ferguson, 47 Killed on February 25, 2003, at the Huntsville employment agency. Ferguson was reportedly attempting to escape the gunfire when he was fatally shot.
• David Seiler, 46 A Tennessee resident who was critically wounded at the Labor Ready office on February 25, 2003. He was transported for emergency treatment but died during surgery.

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Confirmed Victims: (4)

Benjamin Ferguson 47 yr old Male

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