Had Role in Handling San Ysidro Aftermath : S.D. Psychologist Helping in Oklahoma

In the aftermath of the nation’s worst massacre since James Huberty killed 21 people in a San Ysidro fast-food restaurant, San Diego Police Department psychologist Michael Mantell was in Edmond, Okla., Thursday, helping therapists there prepare to cope with the bloodbath’s impact on their community.

“I’m seeing a lot of pain and a lot of hurt,” Mantell said in a telephone interview with The Times.

Mantell, who played a major role in handling the psychological fallout of the San Ysidro massacre, was invited to Oklahoma by state Atty. Gen. Michael C. Turpen to head a team of six psychologists from around the country.

The team will teach local therapists, public officials and business leaders techniques for handling the grief that began after mail carrier Patrick Sherrill killed 14 co-workers and himself at the Edmond post office.

Mantell said he sees parallels between Wednesday’s massacre and the July 18, 1984, killings at a McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro.

In each case, he said, the lone gunman walked calmly into the place of the slaughter and coolly set about killing people. Sherrill was taking out his anger at treatment from his Postal Service supervisor; Huberty was angry with society, Mantell said.

“One of the major parallels is that the gunman walked into an institution that is thought to be as safe as any in the country,” he said. “McDonald’s and a post office--where else besides a school could you find such safety?”

In each case, the small, tight-knit community responded quickly to help those most closely involved with the event, he said.

But there are differences, Mantell pointed out.

Edmond is a much more affluent community than San Ysidro, and it does not have the distinct cultural character that comes with the heavy Latino influence in the border community.

“Another difference is that the McDonald’s Corp. could level the place and do away with it,” Mantell said. “Here, the post office continues. Whereas McDonald’s was closed down, the post office was cleaned up last night and is back serving the community today.”

Mantell said it is “too soon to tell” what effect that difference will have on the community.

In Edmond, Mantell and his team will be a step removed from the treatment.

“We were called in to provide consultation and set a process in motion that will be carried out by the local experts in town,” he said.

Mantell said the victims will be divided into three groups, based on a model developed in San Ysidro. The first will be the families of those killed and wounded. The second will be public safety personnel, including police officers, ambulance drivers and coroner’s office workers. The last is the public: Children who start school Monday, postal workers, funeral directors and the community at large.

Thursday, the team of psychologists met with Postal Service managers and held a session for local mental health professionals, providing training for others who will then go to various employers to teach supervisors about the early warning signs of stress related to the trauma of the killings.

Mantell said the biggest danger is that Edmond residents will “seal it over” and not discuss their feelings of pain. He said it is essential that those affected go through the several stages of grief, the last of which is acceptance.

“It’s safe to assume that this is going to take weeks and months for the average person,” he said. “For those closely hit by this, they’ll be haunted by what happened for the rest of their lives.”