Bio

Patrick Henry Sherrill was born on November 13, 1941, in Watonga, Oklahoma. He grew up in Oklahoma. People who knew him later described him as a loner.

As a young man, Sherrill served in the United States Marine Corps. He also served in the Oklahoma Air National Guard. In the Guard, he was a member of a pistol team.

Those who knew him called him an expert marksman. His experience with small arms came from his military and Guard service.

Murder Story

On August 20, 1986, a mass shooting took place at the post office in Edmond, Oklahoma. The attack lasted less than fifteen minutes. Patrick Henry Sherrill, a 44-year-old postal worker, shot several coworkers. He killed fourteen people and wounded six others. He then committed suicide as police entered the building.

Sherrill arrived at work armed with three semi-automatic pistols and extra ammunition. He had concealed the weapons and ammunition in a mail bag. After entering the building, he locked the doors behind him. Shortly after 7:00 a.m., he shot and killed supervisor Richard Esser Jr., who had reprimanded him the day before. Sherrill also sought another supervisor, Bill Bland, who had been one of those to reprimand him. Bland had overslept and arrived about an hour late, so he was not found.

Sherrill killed co-worker Paul Michael Rockne, the grandson of football coach Knute Rockne, and then sought more coworkers. About 100 workers were in the facility at the time. The shooting ended when Sherrill shot himself in the forehead and died as police entered.

The people killed were Patricia Ann Chambers, 41; Judy Stephens Denney, 41; Richard C. Esser Jr., 38; Patricia A. Gabbard, 47; Jonna Ruth Gragert, 30; Patty Jean Husband, 48; Betty Ann Jarred, 34; William F. Miller, 30; Kenneth W. Morey, 49; Leroy Orrin Phillips, 42; Jerry Ralph Pyle, 51; Paul Michael Rockne, 33; Thomas Wade Shader Jr., 31; and Patti Lou Welch, 27. Six other people were injured.

The shooting is the deadliest workplace shooting in United States history. It is also the deadliest shooting by a lone gunman in the state of Oklahoma. The attack, along with other similar incidents involving postal workers, helped inspire the American phrase "going postal."

A memorial called the Yellow Ribbon Memorial was dedicated on May 29, 1989. It stands outside the post office's main south entry. The memorial includes a bronze statue of a man and a woman holding a ribbon. The fountain has fourteen water jets to represent the fourteen victims, and a plaque lists their names. The memorial was built by the Edmond community and the United States Postal Service. The statue was created by sculptor Richard Muno.

The memorial was surveyed in May 1996 and described as well maintained. Over the years the fountain developed cracks and the water operations were halted for a damaged water supply line. As of 2016, the fountain operated seasonally. Community members gathered at the memorial for the 25th anniversary in 2011 and the 30th anniversary in 2016.

Patrick Henry Sherrill was born November 13, 1941, and died August 20, 1986. He was born in Watonga, Oklahoma. He had served in the United States Marine Corps. He also gained experience with small arms in the Oklahoma Air National Guard and was a member of a pistol team. People who knew him described him as a loner. He was considered an expert marksman.