| Geneva County massacre | |
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Location of Geneva County within the state of Alabama |
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| Location | Geneva and Samson in Geneva County, Alabama, United States |
| Date | March 10, 2009 3:30 p.m. - 4:17 p.m.[1] (EST) |
| Attack type | Mass murder, arson |
| Weapon(s) | SKS rifle, Bushmaster AR-15, and .38-caliber handgun[2] |
| Deaths | 11 (including the perpetrator)[3] |
| Injured | 6[4] |
| Perpetrator | Michael Kenneth McLendon |
The Geneva County massacre, which occurred on March 10, 2009, spanned at least two communities, Geneva and Samson in Geneva County, Alabama, USA, and resulted in the death of 11 people, including the 28 year old gunman, Michael Kenneth McLendon.[3] The victims included members of the McLendon family; he also burned down his mother's house in the town of Kinston, Alabama.[5] When law enforcement reached him, McLendon was shot and killed, though it was initially unclear whether the shot was self-inflicted.[6] Later reports said he committed suicide.[7]
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The attacks began at McLendon's residence in Kinston, Alabama, where he killed his mother and set the house on fire. He went to a relative's home in Samson where he shot several members of his family as well as a neighbor and her daughter. McLendon left the family member's home, killed a pedestrian alongside the road, then stopped at a local gas station, killing a customer inside. McLendon left the gas station heading along Alabama Highway 52 towards Geneva, Alabama. He killed another man who was attempting to subdue him. The suspect is also said to have fired at cars on the highway. Law enforcement officers at one point used the PIT maneuver on the suspect's car which failed to stop him. He died in a shoot-out in a Geneva metal products plant in which he is said to have previously worked. During the shoot-out, Geneva police chief Frankie Lindsey was shot in the arm.[8] Several people were also injured.[9]
The ages of the victims ranged from 18 months to 74 years old.[10] Among the victims were the wife and child of a deputy sheriff, along with the suspect's own mother, grandmother, uncle, niece and 2 cousins. According to a local police officer:[11]
| “ | Five were killed in a trailer in Samson. Two more were killed in the Big and Little Store in Samson. The suspect was killed in the Reliable Products warehouse in Geneva by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He shot at several vehicles on the highway and then he shot at Wal-Mart and Piggly Wiggly in Geneva. | ” |
The victims were:[12]
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Michael Kenneth McLendon (September 19, 1980[13] - March 10, 2009), killed at least 11 people, including himself, during the shooting; he shot other family members and strangers, and shot and killed his mother and burned her house. The killings took place in Coffee and Geneva counties, and ended with McLendon's suicide.[14][15] Detectives have discovered a hit list in his home targeting several corporations.[16] A letter was also found in which McLendon admitted to killing his mother and that he planned to commit suicide. The letter also mentioned a dispute over a legal issue with his family.[17]
McLendon and his mother Lisa were both members of the Sellersville Assembly of God church located just outside of Samson, Alabama.
In response to a request for assistance from the Geneva County Sheriff's Office and Samson Police, troops from nearby Fort Rucker were deployed to the streets of Samson where they manned traffic stops and guarded a makeshift morgue. An Army investigation later determined this to be in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits federal troops from performing law enforcement actions, and took administrative action against at least one officer.[18]
Andalusia radio station WAAO-FM organized a fund-raising event to benefit the victim's families. Hoping to raise $10,000 with the event, ultimately more than $47,000 in cash plus donations of caskets and concrete vaults for each of the victims brought the total over $100,000.[19]
One day later a school shooting causing 15 deaths took place in Winnenden, Germany. Whether the massacre in Geneva County was a trigger for this could not be finally determined.