Patrick Sherrill

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Patrick Henry Sherrill (born November 13, 1941 in Watonga , Oklahoma , † August 20, 1986 in Edmond , Oklahoma) was an employee of the United States Postal Service (USPS) who was killed on August 20, 1986 in a rampage in the Edmond post office 14 colleagues and then killed himself.

Sherrill's act is considered to be the first of several rampages by USPS employees, which led to the emergence of the slang expression " going postal ".

Life

Sherrill was very shy as a teenager and lived a secluded life. He was only active in sporting activities such as football and in 1960 won a scholarship from the University of Oklahoma as a wrestler . However, due to his poor performance, he had to finish his studies in the first year.

He later joined the United States Marine Corps and served in North Carolina . After two years, he was released from active service.

He then moved back to his mother in Oklahoma and began studying at Edmond Central State University. After he also finished this course without a degree, he got by with odd jobs. For a short time he also worked as a postman. His behavior has often been described as unfriendly and rude, which hampered his professional development. Often he walked alone and staring through the town, which earned him the nickname "Crazy Pat".

After the death of his mother, he was dependent on a new job and from 1985 worked again for the USPS as a postman. Despite his good performance, his behavior again led to arguments with colleagues and superiors, so that he was fired.

The fact

On the morning of August 20, 1986, Sherrill armed himself with two Colt M1911s and a .22 lfB pistol. He entered the post office through the back entrance and immediately shot and killed one of the two superiors who had fired him the day before. The second supervisor had overslept that day and thus survived the rampage.

The second victim was Paul Michael Rockne, grandson of football coach Knute Rockne . After that, Sherrill went through the building and shot any employees he found. He closed the doors behind him so as not to give the employees a chance to escape. The rampage ended after about 15 minutes. Sherrill had killed a total of 14 employees and injured six others.

Sherrill then shot himself in the head.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Examining Workplace Homicide - Going Postal at trutv.com, accessed October 16, 2013
  2. ↑ a b The Loner: From Shy Football Player to 'Crazy Pat' in: New York Times , August 22, 1986
personal data
SURNAME Sherrill, Patrick
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sherrill, Patrick Henry
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American gunman
DATE OF BIRTH November 13, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Watonga , Oklahoma , United States
DATE OF DEATH August 20, 1986
Place of death Edmond , Oklahoma , United States