Shortly after 7:00 a.m., Patrick Sherrill killed Richard Esser, Jr., one of two supervisors who had verbally disciplined him the previous day. Sherrill then sought out Bill Bland, another supervisor who had reprimanded him. However, Bland had overslept that morning and arrived an hour late to work, by which time the shootings were already over. Not finding Bland, Sherrill then killed co-worker Paul Michael Rockne. Around 100 workers occupied the small facility at the time of the attack. Fourteen people died at the scene, and six others received wounds requiring hospitalization. The day's violence ended when Sherrill shot himself in the forehead.
Possible motives
Sherrill's job title was Relief Carrier, meaning he was often required to work alternate routes on different days, a position dictated by his rank on the seniority list. His lack of a permanently assigned route meant that he lacked the same job stability as other USPS workers. Opinions vary concerning his job performance. Some reports portray him as an erratic, irritable worker; others claim he performed well and was being badgered by management. In any case, on the afternoon of August 19, 1986, supervisors Esser and Bland reprimanded Sherrill for his behavior. Both anger over this reprimand and anxiety that he was likely to be fired could have been possible motives behind the attack the following morning.
Victims
Fifteen people were killed in the shooting, while six others were injured. The victims were: ;Killed
The Yellow Ribbon Memorial is a commemorative outdoor structure dedicated to the victims of the Edmond, Oklahoma, Post Office Shooting. Dedicated on May 29, 1989, it is located outside the post office's main entry to the south. The memorial contains the bronze statue of a man and a woman standing atop the fountain's center base and holding the ribbon of which the bow is attached to the base. To represent the fourteen victims killed in the shooting, the fountain contains fourteen water jets and a plaque on the front of the base listing their names. The memorial was built by the Edmond community and the United States Postal Services; the statue was created by sculptor Richard Muno. Community members have gathered at the memorial to commemorate the victims, especially on the 25th and 30th anniversaries. The memorial was surveyed in May 1996 as "well maintained," categorized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Over the years, the memorial slowly deteriorated with apparent "cracks in the concrete." Throughout early 2010s, operations of the fountain were halted for, according to USPS, "a damaged water supply line." As of now, the fountain still operates seasonally.
