Criminal logo

Reason First: A Letter to the Victims-The Patrick Henry Sherrill Murders

How can expression be so tragicomic?

By Skyler SaundersPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
Like
Reason First: A Letter to the  Victims-The Patrick Henry Sherrill Murders
Photo by Jonathan Simcoe on Unsplash

The phrase “going postal” has taken on a wicked history. It means now that someone has either gone crazy or is attempting to do something that is off-kilter or potentially deadly, especially in a workplace.

It originated from a summer day on Wednesday August 30, 1986. Gunman Patrick Henry Sherrill worked as a postal worker and he performed below the standards and termination appeared on the horizon. A fashionable nonconformist, Sherrill gained little to no friends on the job or in his personal life. He had a penchant for staring into other people’s windows around his neighborhood.

Another ex-Marine (he became a former Marine for his misdeeds) Sherrill showed suspicious behavior. He clothed himself in camouflage when off of the job and told anyone that he served in Vietnam, while in reality, he remained stateside during the war.

On that fateful day in August, Sherrill brought in his postage carrier a .22 and dual .45 caliber handguns. With the deftness of an assassin, Sherrill picked off his co-workers one at a time.

A woman shrieked for Sherrill to depart from her working space. She received three shots for committing the sin of wanting to live.

A co-supervisor by the name of Rick Esser died first. A survivor that Sherrill admired received the memo to stay home the day of the shooting.

The whole ordeal stopped when Sherrill placed the gun to his head and fired.

What this case should remind us of is the gallows humor that is inherent in our culture. Saying “some drank the Kool/Flavor Aid” or in this case about “going postal” should be brought into question and checked. Sure we can identify with ugly situations and there seems to be a joke about every catastrophe large or small. But we must not lose sight of the lives that fell at the hands of the irrational.

The idea of a man whose ideation to commit murder and then to off himself is a quandary that should be explored in the annals of criminal science. The reason why an ex-Leatherneck would destroy the lives of innocents should be the number one topic in law enforcement classes.

In order to prevent such atrocities from occurring, it is up to officers of the law to investigate and identify suspicious behavior. Sherrill represented a madman who would have sought mental health professionals if he had given himself the chance. 14 people had to be slain in order to address something that could have been halted before one person died.

Edmond, Oklahoma would never be the same place again. People looked at postal workers with double takes and viewed them askance. Sherrill’s unselfish actions prompted the post offices all over the country to engender new sets of training and ideals to prevent cases like this from happening.

And not only that, other workplaces had to implement new measures to protect colleagues and customers alike.

Sherrill’s evil extended from Edmond and reached places of business around the United States. The idea of a disgruntled psychopath opening fire on his or her fellow employees makes for news. Though there have been few cases of workplace violence, it is still something to consider and look at so that these kinds of incidents can be avoided.

For anyone who wants to put an end to vicious acts like Sherrill’s, it is imperative to report suspicious behavior. It is imperative that anyone with the slightest hunch that a co-worker might be showing signs of degeneration speak up and out to save lives.

“Going postal” may engender a toxic laugh within conversation. But it is a serious origin where so many were slain out of irrationality.

guilty
Like

About the Creator

Skyler Saunders

Cash App: $SkylerSaunders1

PayPal: paypal.me/SkylerSaunders

Join Skyler’s 100 Club by contributing $100 a month to the page. Thank you!

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.