Geneva County massacre

Geneva County massacre
Location of Geneva County within the state of Alabama
Location	Geneva and Samson in Geneva County, Alabama, United States
Date	March 10, 2009 (2009-03-10) c. 3:30 p.m.–4:17 p.m.[1] (EST)
Attack type	Mass murder, spree shooting, arson
Weapons	Soviet-made SKS rifle Bushmaster AR-15 12-gauge shotgun .38-caliber handgun[2]
Deaths	11 (including the perpetrator)[3]
Non-fatal injuries	6[4]
Perpetrator	Michael Kenneth McLendon

On March 10, 2009, Michael Kenneth McLendon, 28, shot and killed ten people in a shooting spree in three communities in two southern Alabama counties: Kinston in Coffee County, and Samson and Geneva in Geneva County. Five of the victims were family members and two were children. After engaging in an exchange of fire with police, he committed suicide, bringing the total of dead to eleven.^[3] Officials at the time said this was the worst shooting event in Alabama history.^[5]

He first killed his mother and burned down her house in the town of Kinston; he then killed his maternal grandmother, uncle, two cousins and others, and wounded six at Samson.^[6] When law enforcement reached him, McLendon was dead from a gunshot; initially it was unclear whether the shot was self-inflicted.^[7] Later reports said he committed suicide.^[8]

Shootings

McLendon began his attacks about 3:30 p.m. on March 10, 2009 at his mother's house where he lived in Kinston; he shot and killed his mother and their three dogs, and set the interior of the house on fire. He then drove to his uncle's house in Samson and killed him, two cousins, and a neighbor and her infant daughter, all of whom were sitting on the porch. His aunt escaped the shooting uninjured, while the neighbor's four-month-old daughter survived her gunshot wounds. McLendon went next door and shot and killed his grandmother.^[9]

He left his grandmother's home and started driving, shooting at people from his car. The first to die was 43-year-old Sonya Smith, a gas station attendant. He next shot and killed Bruce Malloy, a 51-year-old motorist who drove past him. The final person to die was 24-year-old James Starling, who McLendon shot in the back as he tried to get away. McLendon also shot and wounded four other persons trying to escape his attack.^[9] He drove along Highway 52 toward Geneva, continuing to shoot from his car, and eventually leading police on a 24-mile chase.

Law enforcement officers at one point used the PIT maneuver on the suspect's car, but he shot at them with an assault rifle, wounding Geneva police chief Frankie Lindsey in the arm, and kept going. McLendon reached Reliable Building Products, owned by Ruskin Company, where he had worked in 2003. After engaging in a shootout with police, he committed suicide inside the building. He had so much ammunition in his car that he appeared to have intended to kill many more people.^[10]

The shooting spree lasted about an hour before McLendon was found dead at 4:17 p.m.^[1] He was found to have been armed with a Soviet-made SKS and a Bushmaster. He also had at least one .38 caliber pistol, police said. He fired more than 200 rounds, police said at a news conference."^[9] A large amount of ammunition was found in his car.^[9]

Victims

Among the victims were the suspect's mother, and relatives from his maternal side: grandmother, uncle, and two cousins, as well as Andrea and Corinne Myers, the neighbor wife and daughter of the deputy sheriff, Josh Myers. Only the four-month-old Ella Myers, who was wounded, survived McLendon's shooting of the people sitting on the porch. Myers' four-year-old son was in the house, but survived unharmed. His uncle and aunt had largely raised McLendon. His victims ranged in age from 18 months to 74 years old.^[11] In addition, he killed strangers, all of which were shot from his car. According to a local police officer:^[12]

“

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.

”

Alabama officials said this was the worst mass shooting event in the state's history.^[5] The victims were:^[13]

Lisa White McLendon, 52, Michael McLendon's mother, killed at her home in Kinston James Alford White, 55, McLendon's uncle, killed at the White home in Samson Tracy Michelle Wise, 34, daughter of James White, McLendon's cousin, killed at the White home Dean James Wise, 15, son of Tracy Wise, McLendon's cousin, killed at the White home Andrea Dawn Myers, 31, neighbor of the Whites, killed at the White home

Corrine Gracy Myers, 18 months, daughter of Andrea Myers, killed at the White home Virginia E. White, 74, McLendon's grandmother, killed at her home in Samson Sonya Lolley Smith, 43, killed at a gas station in Samson Bruce Wilson Malloy, 51, killed at Samson James Irvin Starling, 24, killed at Samson

Perpetrator

Michael Kenneth McLendon (September 19, 1980 – March 10, 2009) was born in southern Alabama to Lisa McLendon (née White) and her husband. After his parents divorced, he was largely raised by his aunt and maternal uncle, Phyllis and James White, of Samson, Alabama.^[14] He attended local schools. An "A" student in high school, he was known for being quiet; he graduated in 1999.

Unmarried, he lived with his mother at her home in Kinston. This area of southern Alabama has had a depressed economy following the relocation of textile jobs overseas years ago. McLendon's work history showed a pattern of short tenure at jobs. He worked briefly with the police department in Samson, but failed to complete basic training at the state academy, washing out after a "week and a half."^[1] He had worked at the Reliable Products warehouse in Geneva, where he was asked to leave in 2003.^[15] He and his mother had worked at Pilgrim Foods, a poultry plant, and had filed suit with other workers when they were suspended in 2006.^[9]

Most recently, McLendon worked at Kelley Foods, a sausage factory, but quit the job abruptly the Wednesday before the shootings. Supervisors there said that he was a team leader and well-liked.^[15]

Motive

Witnesses said that he had been upset after his parents divorced years ago, and complained that his mother was not getting enough support from her family. At the time of the shooting, officials did not know where his father was.^[14] Detectives discovered a handwritten list by McLendon in his home which identified several people from previous jobs, with notations about their actions or comments against him, described as people who "had either disciplined him or had reported him to supervisors for work related infractions".^[15] The Alabama Bureau of Investigation noted that none of the people named in the list was among those he killed,^[9] but police were trying to determine if he had intended to attack them.^[16] McLendon was said to have been depressed about job issues, disappointed that he had failed to qualify for the U.S. Marines or law enforcement.^[1]

A letter was found in which McLendon said he had killed his mother and planned to commit suicide. The letter also mentioned a dispute over a legal issue with his mother's family, as they held a family Bible that he wanted.^[17] He also said that he and his mother had "suffered enough".^[18] McLendon was described as very familiar with guns. The investigators "found dozens of ammunition boxes, military and survival gear and medical supplies at McLendon's Kinston home".^[1]

McLendon killed ten people and three dogs, and wounded six others during the shooting spree before killing himself.^[16]

Federal troops

In response to a request for assistance from the Geneva County Sheriff's Office and Samson Police, federal troops from nearby Fort Rucker were deployed to the streets of Samson. 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. The Army took administrative action against at least one officer.^[19]

Reactions

The Andalusia radio station WAAO-FM organized a fund-raising event to benefit the victims' families. Their goal was $10,000 with the event; more than $47,000 in cash, plus donations of caskets and concrete vaults for each of the victims, brought the total value of donations to more than $100,000.^[20]

See also

• List of massacres in Alabama

References

Wikinews has related news: Ten dead in Alabama shooting

Coordinates: 31°02′17″N 85°52′36″W / 31.03806°N 85.87667°W / 31.03806; -85.87667