Postal Official Slain; Fired Worker Held

A postal supervisor described as “the most nonconfrontational guy in the world” was shot to death Thursday by a fired worker whom the victim had testified against in arbitration hearings, officials said.

James Brown, 59, senior labor relations supervisor for the city’s main post office, was shot and killed as he arrived for work shortly after 7 a.m.

Charles Jennings, 41, a mail clerk who was fired in May, surrendered 30 minutes later, telling an officer at an unrelated traffic stop, “I just murdered someone.”

Brown had represented the Postal Service in arbitration hearings after Jennings was fired. An independent arbitrator upheld the firing, and Jennings was notified of the decision Monday, according to post office spokeswoman Dee Dee Terrano.

She declined to say why Jennings was fired.

Las Vegas Metro Police Homicide Lt. Wayne Petersen said Jennings confronted Brown in an employee parking lot and the two exchanged words.

Witnesses reported hearing five or six shots. Brown was shot in the head at least twice and collapsed about 15 feet from the employee entrance, Petersen said.

Terrano described Brown as “much loved and highly respected” by fellow employees.

Some employees wept as they waited on customers rushing to mail Christmas packages. Workers declined to comment, saying they had been told not to talk about the incident.

Chuck Davison, a Las Vegas contractor, appeared stunned as he walked through the parking lot of the sprawling mail facility, across from McCarran International Airport. He talked about his friend of 37 years.

“James was the most nonconfrontational guy in the world,” Davison said. “He would go out of his way not to have a confrontation. James Brown was what you would want to be in life, what you would want your kids to be.”

Davison, who was doing work at the post office, said he saw Brown last week when he remodeled his office.

“He was talking about how good life was,” Davison said.

Postal Inspector Donald Obritsch, who is assigned to monitor threats against postal employees, said Jennings “was not a possible problem, like some employees are.”

Post offices have been the scene of several shootings. The worst was in August 1986, when Patrick Henry Sherrill, a part-time letter carrier in Edmond, Okla., killed 14 people in the post office before committing suicide. Sherrill had a history of work problems and faced the possibility of being fired.

Terrano said she had not been aware of any bad blood between Jennings and Brown.

But Petersen said it appeared Brown was Jennings’ target.

“Jennings was not employed there any longer, but he made an intentional trip there,” Petersen said. “It looked as though he was targeting a specific individual.”