Michael McLendon

Case overview

Michael McLendon died of self-inflicted gunshot wound after shootout with authorities at Reliable Products, state Highway 27, Geneva, the same day.

The Geneva County massacre occurred on March 10, 2009 and spanned at least two communities, Geneva and Samson in Geneva County, Alabama. It resulted in the death of 11 people, including the 28 year old gunman, Michael Kenneth McLendon. The victims included members of the McLendon family. McLendon also burned down his mother's house in the town of Kinston, Alabama.

Timeline

• March 10, 2009 — Michael McLendon killed his mother and set her house on fire in Kinston, Alabama, then continued a shooting spree across Geneva and Samson in Geneva County, Alabama, before dying in a shootout at Reliable Products on state Highway 27 in Geneva.

The offence

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 was also said to have fired at cars on the highway.

Law enforcement officers used the PIT maneuver on the suspect's car which failed to stop him. McLendon 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. Several people were also injured.

Victims

The ages of the victims ranged from 18 months to 74 years old.

The victims included members of the McLendon family: his mother, grandmother, uncle, niece and 2 cousins, along with other people killed during the spree. 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.

A local police officer said: five were killed in a trailer in Samson; two more were killed in the Big and Little Store in Samson; and the suspect was killed in the Reliable store in Geneva.

The victims listed were:

• Lisa White McLendon, 52
• James Alford White, 55
• Tracy Michelle Wise, 34
• Dean James Wise, 15
• Virginia E. White, 74
• Andrea Dawn Myers, 31
• Corrine Gracy Myers, 18 months
• James Irvin Starling, 24
• Sonya Lolley Smith, 43
• Bruce Wilson Maloy, 51

Michael McLendon also died during the spree.

The record also described other injured people:

• Ella Myers, 3-month-old daughter of Andrea and Josh Myers, transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Fla., with a gunshot wound to the groin; Ella was in stable condition after surgery
• Jeffrey Lynn Nelson, 50
• Greg McCullough, 49
• Mike Gillis, Alabama State Trooper injured by broken glass after McLendon shot at him while driving on state Highway 52 in Geneva
• Frankie Lindsey, Geneva Police Chief, shot in the shoulder in front of Wal-Mart on state Highway 52 in Geneva
• Ricky Morgan, Geneva Police Department lieutenant, minor injuries from flying glass on state Highway 52 in front of Geneva Wal-Mart

Investigation and evidence

Detectives discovered a hit list in Michael McLendon's home targeting several corporations. A letter was also found in which McClendon 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.

A notebook fragment and lists of employers and co-workers were found in Michael McLendon's home. The lists included a metals plant that had forced him to resign years ago and where he ended up killing himself, a sausage factory from which he suddenly quit last week, and a poultry plant that suspended his mother. The pages torn from a spiral notebook included names of co-workers who he felt had wronged him.

It was initially unclear why he targeted relatives and others outside the list as he fired more than 200 rounds in a roughly 20-mile trail across two counties near the Florida state line.

Investigators offered no immediate explanation for why McLendon targeted relatives and others not on the list.

The district attorney said records found in the home indicated Lisa McLendon was accused of misstating her hours but was due to resume work March 17. The company suspended her; the reason for the suspension was not commented on.

Federal court records showed McLendon and his mother were among Pilgrim Pride employees who filed a lawsuit in 2006 against a poultry firm based in Pittsburg, Texas, over claims of unfair compensation. A company spokesman did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Alabama Bureau of Investigations officials described that they did not believe the shootings were job-related, stating there was no specific indication of “This is why I did it,” and that there was no release of motive.

Weapons and actions

McLendon armed himself with four guns: two assault rifles with high-capacity magazines taped together, a shotgun, and a .38-caliber pistol. Police also described that he was armed with two high powered assault rifles, including a Soviet-made SKS and a Bushmaster, and at least one .38 caliber pistol.

The record described that McLendon fired more than 200 rounds. At one point, he opened fire with an AK-47 as described by Geneva Police Chief Frankie Lindsey, who said it looked like an assault rifle, automatic, and described bursts on a vehicle and that he believed it was trying to kill police.

There were reports that McLendon shot at several vehicles on the highway and that he fired at Wal-Mart and Piggly Wiggly in Geneva.

Locations

• Kinston, Alabama (McLendon's residence where he killed his mother and set the house on fire)
• Samson, Alabama (relative's home and other killings in Samson)
• Alabama Highway 52 (travel route toward Geneva where other people were killed and police engagement occurred)
• Reliable Products, state Highway 27, Geneva (site of the shootout where McLendon died)

The record also referenced:

• Coffee and Geneva counties, Alabama
• First Baptist Church of Samson (prayer service)
• Wal-Mart and Piggly Wiggly in Geneva
• Big and Little Store in Samson
• Reliable store in Geneva
• Big-Little/Inland store on Main Street in Samson
• Dollar General in Samson
• West Main Street, Samson
• Pilgrim Pride plant in Enterprise
• Kelly Foods in Elba
• Reliant Metals factory in Geneva

Injuries and interactions with law enforcement

Geneva Police Chief Frankie Lindsey was shot in the shoulder/arm during the engagement. A sheriff rams his vehicle after McLendon fired shots; the sheriff was shot in the shoulder and drove himself to a hospital.

A trooper was injured by broken glass after McLendon shot at him while driving on state Highway 52 in Geneva. Police pursued McLendon to the Reliable Metals factory; during the shootout, police officers exchanged more shots with McLendon before he entered the business and shot himself.

The record described that Josh Myers, sent to chase McLendon, did not know then that his wife and daughter were among the dead. His 4-month-old daughter was wounded and later described as in stable condition.

Federal troops and legal dispute

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.

Aftermath and reactions

The record described that one day later a school shooting causing 15 deaths took place in Winnenden, Germany, and whether the Geneva County massacre was an actuator for this could not be finally determined.

A prayer service was held at First Baptist Church of Samson. Rev. Steve Sellers spoke to the congregation, with sobs heard.

State Sen. Harri Anne Smith said, “This was 20-something miles of terror.”

At the prayer service, Rev. Steve Sellers said:

“Father, there are times in life when we don't have answers to the question why,” Sellers said to several hundred people in the church, where sobs could be heard.
“I don't know what set a young man off like that, but I too want to pray for his family.”

Geneva County coroner Robert Preachers said:

“He cleaned his family out,”

Alabama Bureau of Investigations Lt. Barry Tucker said:

“There's no specific indication of 'This is why I did it,'”

Investigators said:

“We get trained to handle something like this ... but this was something that was never expected,” Myers told a news conference.

Josh Myers said:

“I cried so much yesterday I don't have a tear left in me,”
“I never in my life will be able to understand it.”

McLendon’s letter and lists were discovered in his home, including names of employers, co-workers, and attorneys in the area.

Other details

Michael McLendon was described as having a hard time keeping a job over the years, and being forced to resign from his position at a local Reliable Metals plant in 2003. Authorities said investigators would not say why. The record also said he tried to join the police academy and lasted only a week before flunking out.

The record described McLendon being briefly a member of the local police department and leaving the force without finishing training.

The record described he began his killing spree by burning down his home and ended it by taking his own life at Reliable Metals, where he worked until 2003.

The record also stated that investigators offered no immediate explanation for why McLendon targeted relatives and others who weren't on the list. Another report described that investigators said they were close to unraveling the mystery behind what led McLendon to go on the rampage and that a list of co-workers found in the notebook was characterized differently by different officials, including being described as an employee phone list from Kelley Foods and found in a notebook that appeared to be more than a year old.

The record described that the rampage started around 3:30 p.m. when McLendon put his mother on an L-shaped couch, piled stuff on top of her and set her ablaze, and before he left, he shot four dogs.

Inside the charred home, a gun safe was left with its door ajar, and military gear was found about the home. Remnants of his baseball career, including a 1995 All-Star trophy, were described as prominently displayed.

A neighbor told about being at his son's house nearby and seeing the shooting, and that he saw McLendon chase a woman into her house and open fire. Barry Aplin said:

“I saw him in the living room just blazing the world up,”

The record included descriptions from witnesses about McLendon's driving and shooting through town, including:

“He sprayed bullets through the town,” Adams said.

The record also included a statement about uncertainty regarding whether McLendon killed himself or was killed by one of the sheriffs, which was later described as suicide.