The gunman who killed 10 people and committed suicide in a rampage across the Alabama countryside had struggled to keep a job and left behind a list of employers and co-workers he believed had wronged him, authorities said Wednesday. The list, found in his home, included a metals plant that had forced Michael McLendon to resign years ago. Also on the list was a sausage factory where he suddenly quit last week and a poultry plant that suspended his mother, District Attorney Gary McAliley said. McAliley was quoted as telling The Dothan Eagle that the list also included people at the sausage factory who had complained about McLendon for such things as not wearing earplugs and slicing the meat too thin. “We found a list of people he worked with, people who had done him wrong,“ the district attorney said outside the charred house where the rampage began. But investigators offered no immediate explanation for why he targeted relatives and other people who weren’t on the list as he fired more than 200 rounds in a roughly 20-mile trail of carnage across two counties near the Florida state line Tuesday. In the span of about an hour, McLendon, 28, set the home he shared with his mother on fire, killed five relatives and five bystanders and committed suicide in a standoff at the metals plant. “The community’s just in disbelief, just how this could happen in our small town,“ said state Sen. Harri Anne Smith, from the nearby town of Slocumb. “This was 20-something miles of terror.“ It was not clear how long McLendon had been planning the attack, but authorities said he armed himself with four guns - two assault rifles with high-capacity magazines taped together, a shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol - and may have planned a bigger massacre than he had time to carry out. “I’m convinced he went over there to kill more people. He was heavily armed,“ said Sheriff Dave Sutton. The shooting was the deadliest attack by a single gunman in Alabama history, and plunged Sansom, the community of about 2,000 where McLendon grew up and where most of his victims lived, into mourning. The town is so close-knit that the mayor coached McLendon in T-ball when he was a boy, and the dead included the wife and daughter of one of the sheriff’s deputies who was sent to chase McLendon. As word about the killings spread, graduates of the local high school scrambled to find their yearbooks, and many realized they knew the gunman. “Something had to snap,“ said Jerry Hysmith, 35, who worked with McLendon at the metals plant in 2001. Among the dead were some of the very people who might have helped explain what set off McLendon - his grandmother, his mother, an uncle and two cousins. This much is clear: McLendon had a hard time keeping a job over the years, and had been forced to resign from his position at a local Reliable Metals plant in 2003, authorities said. Investigators would not say why. That same year, he tried to join the police academy, but lasted only a week before flunking out, authorities said. His next known job came in 2007, at a nearby sausage plant operated by Kelley Foods. The company said he quit last week but was considered a team leader and was well-liked by employees. However, the district attorney said co-workers reported him for not doing things right. McAliley also said McLendon had a list of eight lawyers, a clue that he might have been planning legal action. The rampage started around 3:30 p.m. at McLendon’s mother’s home. Authorities said he put her on an L-shaped couch, piled stuff on top of her and set her ablaze. Before he left, he also shot four dogs. Investigators did not immediately say whether the woman was dead or alive when the fire was set. Inside the charred home, a gun safe was left with its door ajar, and military gear, including a camouflage jacket and green military-style backpack, was found about the home. In another room, remnants of his baseball career, including a 1995 All-Star trophy, were prominently displayed. After setting the home ablaze, McLendon drove a dozen miles and gunned down three other relatives and two others on a porch and shot his grandmother at a house next door, sending panicked bystanders fleeing and ducking behind cars. His uncle’s wife, Phyllis White, sought refuge in the house of neighbor Archie Mock. “She was just saying, `I think my family is dead. I think my family is dead,“‘ Mock said. McLendon went inside the house and chased his aunt out before driving off, said Tom Knowles, who was at his son’s house nearby and saw the shooting. Knowles said McLendon returned moments later in his car as if looking for the aunt, then turned and looked at Knowles. “He had cold eyes. There was nothing. I hollered at him. I said, ‘Look, boy, I ain’t done nothing to you,“‘ Knowles said. McLendon then left for good. Then, McLendon shot three more people at random as he drove toward the metals plant, firing from his car. One woman was hit as she walked out of a gas station. Another person was hit while driving. One man was shot while walking. At the metals plant, McLendon got out of his car and fired at police with his assault rifle, wounding Geneva Police Chief Frankie Lindsey, authorities said. Then he walked inside and killed himself. The victims included the wife and 18-month-old daughter of sheriff’s Deputy Josh Myers, who was sent to chase McLendon. Myers did not know at the time that his wife and daughter were among the dead. His 4-month-old daughter was wounded in the attack. “I cried so much yesterday, I don’t have a tear left in me,“ said Myers, who did not know McLendon. “I feel like I should be able to walk in the house and my wife would be there, my baby girl climbing on me.“ —- Associated Press Writers Jay Reeves in Sansom, Garry Mitchell in Mobile and Bob Johnson and Kate Brumback in Montgomery contributed to this report. ——— 4:11 p.m. By JESSICA GRESKO and DESIREE HUNTER Associated Press Writer SAMSON, Ala. (AP) - A gunman who killed 10 people in the worst mass shooting in Alabama history had a list of employers “who had done him wrong,“ including the nearby sausage plant he quit days before the spree and the metal factory where he shot himself, authorities said Wednesday. Investigators trying to figure out why Michael McLendon, 28, killed relatives and others Tuesday afternoon found the list in his home, Coffee County District Attorney Gary McAliley said. “We found a list of people he worked with, people who had done him wrong,“ said McAliley in a brief interview outside the charred house where the rampage begain. The killings devastated rural communities in two counties near the Florida border. While the list was one of several perplexing clues that emerged Wednesday about McLendon’s life, authorities couldn’t say what set him off. And the people who might be able to explain - his mother, his grandmother, his uncle and two cousins - were among the victims. A witness said the four had no time to react when McLendon wordlessly and expressionlessly pulled his car up to a house where they were sitting and opened fire. The rampage started around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, and took only about an hour from start to finish. In that time, McLendon sprayed more than 200 rounds, authorities said. First, McLendon set his mother’s house on fire and killed her, then drove 12 miles and opened fire on his uncle’s front porch, killing five more people and his grandmother, who lived next door, authorities said. Then, he drove through town and fired seemingly at random, killing three more people. With police in pursuit, he ended up at the metals plant where he once worked, and shot himself after engaging in a shootout with law enforcement officers. “He cleaned his family out,“ Coffee County Coroner Robert Preachers said. McLendon was briefly employed by the police department in Samson in 2003 and spent about a week and a half at the police academy, dropping out before he received firearms training, said Col. Chris Murphy, director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety. More recently, he worked nearly two years at food manufacturer and distributor Kelley Foods in Elba, about 25 miles north of where he shot most of his victims. The company didn’t specify what his position was, but said in a statement that he was a “reliable team leader” who was well liked, but quit last Wednesday. Though Kelley Foods said he left voluntarily, the company was on the list of those the gunman felt slighted by, said McAliley. So were another of his employers, Reliable Metals in Samson, and a Pilgrim’s Pride plant near Enterprise where his mother had worked. The district attorney said the mother had recently been laid off from the plant. McAliley wouldn’t elaborate further on what the list said. McLendon worked at Reliable Metal Products until 2003, when Geneva County District Attorney Kirke Adams said he was forced to resign. A co-worker there, Jerry Hysmith, echoed Kelley Foods’ description, saying McLendon was shy, quiet and laid-back. “Something had to snap,“ said Hysmith, 35, who lives in Samson, and worked with McLendon in 2001. The victims were identified as McLendon’s mother, Lisa McLendon, 52; his uncle, James Alford White, 55; his cousin, Tracy Michelle Wise, 34; a second cousin, Dean James Wise, 15; and his grandmother, Virginia E. White, 74. Also killed were James Irvin Starling, 24; Sonja Smith, 43; and Bruce Wilson Malloy, 51. The wife and daughter of Geneva County Deputy Josh Myers, who was one of the law enforcement officers involved in the chase for McLendon, also died in the shooting spree. Andrea D. Myers, 31, was visiting the home with 18-month old Corrine Gracy Myers and 4-month-old Ella Myers when the shooting began. Ella was flown to a hospital in Pensacola and was awaiting surgery for a wound to the leg caused by either a bullet or shrapnel. She was in fair condition, authorities said. “I cried so much yesterday, I don’t have a tear left in me,“ said the girl’s father, who did not know McLendon. “I feel like I should be able to walk in the house and my wife would be there, my baby girl climbing on me.“ The first killed Tuesday was McLendon’s mother. Authorities said he put her on an L-shaped couch, piled stuff on top of her and set her afire. He said McLendon also shot four dogs at the house. A dozen miles away, he gunned down the other relatives and sent panicked bystanders fleeing and ducking behind cars. His uncle’s wife, Phyllis White, sought refuge in the house of neighbor Archie Mock. “She was just saying, `I think my family is dead, I think my family is dead,“‘ said Mock, 55. Tom Knowles saw McLendon pull up and begin firing without saying a word, leaving his victims no time to react. “He had no expression - just dead,“ said Knowles, who was in the yard of his son’s house next door. McLendon went inside the house and chased Phyllis White out before driving off, Knowles said. He returned moments later in his car as if he were still looking for her. The witness then made eye contact with him. “He had cold eyes. There was nothing. I hollered at him. I said, ‘Look, boy, I ain’t done nothing to you,“‘ Knowles said. McLendon then left for good. Afterwards, Knowles said he and his daughter found the baby Ella bleeding: “The only thing that was alive was the 3-month-old baby.“ McLendon shot more victims at random as he drove toward the metals plant where he once worked. Smith was struck down as she walked out of a gas station. Malloy was hit while driving. Starling was shot as he walked. At the Reliable plant, McLendon got out of his car and fired at police with his assault rifle, wounding Geneva Police Chief Frankie Lindsey, authorities said. He then walked inside and killed himself. Once investigators got a look at the ammunition he was carrying, they feared the bloodshed could have been worse. “I’m convinced he went over there to kill more people. He was heavily armed,“ said Coffee County Sheriff Dave Sutton. The community was still in shock Wednesday. “This was 20-something miles of terror in my district,“ said State Sen.
Harri Anne Smith, R-Slocomb. —- Associated Press Writers Garry Mitchell in Mobile and Bob Johnson in Montgomery contributed to this report. ———— 3:20 p.m. By JESSICA GRESKO and DESIREE HUNTER Associated Press Writer SAMSON, Ala. (AP) - A gunman who killed 10 people in the worst mass shooting in Alabama history had a list of employers “who had done him wrong,“ including the nearby sausage plant he quit days before the spree and the metal factory where he shot himself, authorities said Wednesday. Investigators trying to figure out why Michael McLendon, 28, killed relatives and others Tuesday afternoon found the list in his home, Coffee County District Attorney Gary McAliley said. “We found a list of people he worked with, people who had done him wrong,“ said McAliley in a brief interview outside the charred house where the rampage begain. The killings devastated rural communities in two counties near the Florida border. While the list was one of several perplexing clues that emerged Wednesday about McClendon’s life, authorities couldn’t say what set him off. And the people who might be able to explain - his mother, his grandmother, his uncle and two cousins - were among the victims. A witness said the four had no time to react when McClendon wordlessly and expressionlessly pulled his car up to a house where they were sitting and opened fire. The rampage started around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, and took only about an hour from start to finish. In that time, McClendon sprayed more than 200 rounds, authorities said. First, McLendon set his mother’s house on fire and killed her, then drove 12 miles and opened fire on his uncle’s front porch, killing five more people and his grandmother, who lived next door, authorities said. Then, he drove through town and fired seemingly at random, killing three more people. With police in pursuit, he ended up at the metals plant where he once worked, and shot himself after engaging in a shootout with law enforcement officers. “He cleaned his family out,“ Coffee County Coroner Robert Preachers said. McLendon was briefly employed by the police department in Samson in 2003 and spent about a week and a half at the police academy, dropping out before he received firearms training, said Col. Chris Murphy, director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety. More recently, he worked nearly two years at food manufacturer and distributor Kelley Foods in Elba, about 25 miles north of where he shot most of his victims. The company didn’t specify what his position was, but said in a statement that he was a “reliable team leader” who was well liked, but quit last Wednesday. Though Kelley Foods said he left voluntarily, the company was on the list of those the gunman felt slighted by, said McAliley. So were another of his employers, Reliable Metals in Samson, and a Pilgrim’s Pride plant near Enterprise where his mother had worked. The district attorney said the mother had recently been laid off from the plant. McAliley wouldn’t elaborate further on what the list said. McClendon worked at Reliable Metal Products until 2003, when Geneva County District Attorney Kirke Adams said he was forced to resign. A co-worker there, Jerry Hysmith, echoed Kelley Foods’ description, saying McClendon was shy, quiet and laid-back. “Something had to snap,“ said Hysmith, 35, who lives in Samson, and worked with McClendon in 2001. The victims were identified as McLendon’s mother, Lisa McLendon, 52; his uncle, James Alford White, 55; his cousin, Tracy Michelle Wise, 34; a second cousin, Dean James Wise, 15; and his grandmother, Virginia E. White, 74. Also killed were James Irvin Starling, 24; Sonja Smith, 43; and Bruce Wilson Malloy, 51. The wife and daughter of Geneva County Deputy Josh Myers, who was one of the law enforcement officers involved in the chase for McLendon, also died in the shooting spree. Andrea D. Myers, 31, was visiting the home with 18-month old Corrine Gracy Myers and 4-month-old Ella Myers when the shooting began. Ella was flown to a hospital in Pensacola and was awaiting surgery for a wound to the leg caused by either a bullet or shrapnel. She was in fair condition, authorities said. “I cried so much yesterday, I don’t have a tear left in me,“ said the girl’s father, who did not know McClendon. “I feel like I should be able to walk in the house and my wife would be there, my baby girl climbing on me.“ The first killed Tuesday was McClendon’s mother. Authorities said he put her on an L-shaped couch, piled stuff on top of her and set her afire. He said McClendon also shot four dogs at the house. A dozen miles away, he gunned down the other relatives and sent panicked bystanders fleeing and ducking behind cars. His uncle’s wife, Phyllis White, sought refuge in the house of neighbor Archie Mock. “She was just saying, `I think my family is dead, I think my family is dead,“‘ said Mock, 55. Tom Knowles saw McClendon pull up and begin firing without saying a word, leaving his victims no time to react. “He had no expression - just dead,“ said Knowles, who was in the yard of his son’s house next door. McClendon went inside the house and chased Phyllis White out before driving off, Knowles said. He returned moments later in his car as if he were still looking for her. The witness then made eye contact with him. “He had cold eyes. There was nothing. I hollered at him. I said, ‘Look, boy, I ain’t done nothing to you,“‘ Knowles said. McLendon then left for good. Afterwards, Knowles said he and his daughter found the baby Ella bleeding: “The only thing that was alive was the 3-month-old baby.“ McClendon shot more victims at random as he drove toward the metals plant where he once worked. Smith was struck down as she walked out of a gas station. Malloy was hit while driving. Starling was shot as he walked. At the Reliable plant, McClendon got out of his car and fired at police with his assault rifle, wounding Geneva Police Chief Frankie Lindsey, authorities said. He then walked inside and killed himself. Once investigators got a look at the ammunition he was carrying, they feared the bloodshed could have been worse. “I’m convinced he went over there to kill more people. He was heavily armed,“ said Coffee County Sheriff Dave Sutton. The community was still in shock Wednesday. “This was 20-something miles of terror in my district,“ said State Sen. Harri Anne Smith, R-Slocomb. —- Associated Press Writers Garry Mitchell in Mobile and Bob Johnson in Montgomery contributed to this report. ———— 2:20 p.m. By JESSICA GRESKO and DESIREE HUNTER Associated Press Writer SAMSON, Ala. (AP) - A man who killed 10 people in two rural Alabama counties before committing suicide had been keeping a list of those “who done him wrong,“ a district attorney said Wednesday. Investigators trying figure out why Michael McLendon, 28, killed relatives and others Tuesday afternoon found the list in his home, Coffee County District Attorney Gary McAliley said. The list was made up of former employers, including a sausage plant where he suddenly quit his job last Wednesday. “We found a list of people he worked with, people who had done him wrong,“ said McAliley in a brief interview outside his mother’s house where the rampage begain. The killings were the worst mass killings by a single gunman in Alabama state history, and devastated rural communities in two counties near the Florida border. While the list was one of several perplexing clues that emerged Wednesday about McClendon’s life, authorities couldn’t say what set him off. And the people who might be able to explain - his mother, his grandmother, his uncle and two cousins - were among the victims. A witness said the four had no time to react when McClendon wordlessly and expressionlessly pulled his car up to a house where they were sitting and opened fire. The rampage started around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, and took only about an hour from start to finish. In that time, McClendon sprayed more than 200 rounds, authorities said. First, McLendon set his mother’s house on fire and killed her, then drove 12 miles and opened fire on his uncle’s front porch, killing five more people and his grandmother, who lived next door, authorities said. Then, he drove through town and fired seemingly at random, killing three more people. With police in pursuit, he ended up at the metals plant where he once worked, and shot himself after engaging in a shootout with law enforcement officers. “He cleaned his family out,“ Coffee County Coroner Robert Preachers said. McLendon was briefly employed by the police department in Samson in 2003 and spent about a week and a half at the police academy, dropping out before he received firearms training, said Col. Chris Murphy, director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety. More recently, he worked nearly two years at food manufacturer and distributor Kelley Foods in Elba, about 25 miles north of where he shot most of his victims. The company didn’t specify what his position was, but said in a statement that he was a “reliable team leader” who was well liked, but quit last Wednesday. Though Kelley Foods said he left voluntarily, the company was on the list of people he felt had slighted him, said McAliley. So were another of his employers, Reliable Metals in Samson, and a Pilgrim’s Pride plant near Enterprise where his mother had worked. The district attorney said the mother had recently been laid off from the plant. McClendon worked at Reliable Metal Products until 2003, when Geneva County District Attorney Kirke Adams said he was forced to resign. A co-worker there, Jerry Hysmith, echoed Kelley Foods’ description, saying McClendon was shy, quiet and laid-back. “Something had to snap,“ said Hysmith, 35, who lives in Samson, and worked with McClendon in 2001. The victims were identified as McLendon’s mother, Lisa McLendon, 52; his uncle, James Alford White, 55; his cousin, Tracy Michelle Wise, 34; a second cousin, Dean James Wise, 15; and his grandmother, Virginia E. White, 74. Also killed were James Irvin Starling, 24; Sonja Smith, 43; and Bruce Wilson Malloy, 51. The wife and daughter of Geneva County Deputy Josh Myers, who was one of the law enforcement officers involved in the chase for McLendon, also died in the shooting spree. Andrea D. Myers, 31, was visiting the home with 18-month old Corrine Gracy Myers and 4-month-old Ella Myers when the shooting began. Ella was flown to a hospital in Pensacola and was awaiting surgery for a wound to the leg caused by either a bullet or shrapnel. She was in fair condition, authorities said. “I cried so much yesterday, I don’t have a tear left in me,“ said the girl’s father, who did not know McClendon. “I feel like I should be able to walk in the house and my wife would be there, my baby girl climbing on me.“ The first killed Tuesday was McClendon’s mother. Authorities said he put her on an L-shaped couch, piled stuff on top of her and set her afire. He said McClendon also shot four dogs at the house. A dozen miles away, he gunned down the other relatives and sent panicked bystanders fleeing and ducking behind cars. His uncle’s wife, Phyllis White, sought refuge in the house of neighbor Archie Mock. “She was just saying, `I think my family is dead, I think my family is dead,“‘ said Mock, 55. Neighbor Tom Knowles saw McClendon pull up and begin firing without saying a word, leaving his victims no time to react. “He had no expression - just dead,“ he said. McClendon went inside the house and chased Phyllis White out before driving off, Knowles said. He returned moments later in his car as if he were still looking for her. The witness then made eye contact with him. “He had cold eyes. There was nothing. I hollered at him. I said, ‘Look, boy, I ain’t done nothing to you,“‘ Knowles said. McLendon then drove off. After the gunman left, Knowles said he and his daughter found the baby Ella bleeding: “The only thing that was alive was the 3-month-old baby.“ McClendon shot more victims at random as he drove toward the metals plant where he once worked. Smith was struck down as she walked out of a gas station. Malloy was hit while driving. Starling was shot as he walked. At the Reliable plant, McClendon got out of his car and fired at police with his assault rifle, wounding Geneva Police Chief Frankie Lindsey, authorities said. He then walked inside and killed himself. Once investigators got a look at the ammunition he was carrying, they feared the bloodshed could have been worse. “I’m convinced he went over there to kill more people. He was heavily armed,“ said Coffee County Sheriff Dave Sutton. The community was still in shock Wednesday. “This was 20-something miles of terror in my district,“ said State Sen. Harri Anne Smith, R-Slocomb. —- Associated Press Writers Garry Mitchell in Mobile and Bob Johnson in Montgomery contributed to this report. —————- 1:41 p.m. By JESSICA GRESKO and DESIREE HUNTER Associated Press Writer SAMSON, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama district attorney says a gunman who killed 10 people and then himself in the worst mass shooting in the state’s history was keeping a list of those “who done him wrong.“ Coffee County District Attorney Gary McAliley (MAK’-uh-lil-ee) said Wednesday that investigators found the list in 28-year-old Michael McLendon’s home. The list included a Pilgrim’s Pride plant near Enterprise where his mother worked. She was among the victims of her son’s shooting spree, and the district attorney said she had recently been laid off from the plant. McAliley says Kelley’s Foods in Elba and Reliable Metals in Samson were also on the list. McLendon had previously worked at both. Kelley’s Foods says he quit his job there last week, and local officials say he was forced to resign from the metals plant in 2003. —- Associated Press Writers Garry Mitchell in Mobile and Bob Johnson in Montgomery contributed to this report. ———— 12:29 p.m. By JESSICA GRESKO and DESIREE HUNTER Associated Press Writer SAMSON, Ala. (AP) - A gunman who killed 10 people and himself in the worst mass shooting in Alabama history had trained as a police officer and quit a job at a nearby sausage plant days before the deadly spree, authorities said Wednesday. But as details of 28-year-old Michael McLendon’s background began to emerge the day after the bloodshed, authorities still didn’t know what set him off. And the people who might be able to explain - his mother, his grandmother, his uncle and two cousins - were among the victims. “I’ve been here 30 years, this is the worst thing that’s ever happened in this community,“ Geneva County Sheriff Greg Ward said at a news conference Wednesday morning. “We have lost friends here in our community. It’s going to take a while before we can get over it.“ The rampage started around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, and took only about an hour from start to finish. First, McLendon set his mother’s house on fire and killed her, then drove 12 miles and opened fire on his uncle’s front porch, killing five more people and his grandmother, who lived next door, authorities said. Then, he drove through town and fired seemingly at random, killing three more people. With police in pursuit, he ended up at the metals plant where he once worked, and shot himself after engaging in a shootout with law enforcement officers. “He cleaned his family out,“ Coffee County Coroner Robert Preachers said. McLendon was briefly employed by the police department in Samson in 2003 but failed to complete the academy, Alabama Bureau of Investigation Chief Jerry Connor said. More recently, he worked nearly two years at food manufacturer and distributor Kelley Foods in Elba, about 25 miles north of where he shot most of his victims. The company didn’t specify what his position was, but said in a statement that he was a “reliable team leader” who was well liked, but quit last Wednesday. The victims were identified as McLendon’s mother, Lisa McLendon, 52; his uncle, James Alford White, 55; his cousin, Tracy Michelle Wise, 34; a second cousin, Dean James Wise, 15; and his grandmother, Virginia E. White, 74. Also killed were James Irvin Starling, 24; Sonja Smith, 43; and Bruce Wilson Malloy, 51. The wife and daughter of Geneva County Deputy Josh Myers, who was one of the law enforcement officers involved in the chase for McLendon, also died in the shooting spree. Andrea D. Myers, 31, was visiting the home with 18-month old Corrine Gracy Myers and 4-month-old Ella Myers when the shooting began. Ella was flown to a hospital in Pensacola and was awaiting surgery for a wound to the leg caused by either a bullet or shrapnel. She was in stable condition, authorities said. “I cried so much yesterday, I don’t have a tear left in me,“ said the girl’s father, who did not know McClendon. “I feel like I should be able to walk in the house and my wife would be there, my baby girl climbing on me.“ —- Associated Press Writers Garry Mitchell in Mobile and Bob Johnson in Montgomery contributed to this report. ——— 11:20 a.m. By JESSICA GRESKO and DESIREE HUNTER Associated Press Writer SAMSON, Ala. (AP) - The man believed responsible for gunning down 10 in rural Alabama quit his job at a sausage plant days before the deadly spree. Manufacturer and distributor Kelley Foods says in a statement that Michael McLendon voluntarily left the position he had held for nearly two years last Wednesday. Kelley’s plant is located in Elba, about 25 miles north of where most of the killings took place in Samson. Kelley didn’t specify what McLendon’s job was, but said he was a “reliable team leader” who was well liked. Authorities believe McLendon was responsible for the deadly spree on Tuesday before killing himself. It appears to be the worst mass killing by a single gunman in state history. The gunman’s mother, four other relatives and the wife and child of a local sheriff’s deputy were among the dead. —- Associated Press Writers Garry Mitchell in Mobile, Bob Johnson in Montgomery and Anna Varela in Atlanta contributed to this report. ———— 10:50 a.m. By JESSICA GRESKO and DESIREE HUNTER Associated Press Writer SAMSON, Ala. (AP) - Authorities were working Wednesday to learn why a gunman set off on a rampage, killing 10 people across two rural Alabama counties. Grieving residents feared the answers could have been lost when he ended the terror by killing himself. The shooting was believed to be the worst mass killing by a single gunman in Alabama’s history. The gunman’s mother, four other relatives and the wife and child of a local sheriff’s deputy were among the dead. “He cleaned his family out,“ Coffee County Coroner Robert Preachers said. “We don’t know what triggered it.“ The shootings happened Tuesday afternoon in a mostly rural area near the Florida border, and were believed to be the work of Michael McLendon, a man in his 20s who lived with his mother and once worked at a local metal plant. The spree began around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when McLendon burned down his mother’s house in Kinston. Coffee County Sheriff Dave Sutton said McClendon put his mother, Lisa McLendon, on an L-shaped couch, piled stuff on top of her and set her afire. He said McClendon also shot four dogs at the house. Then, McLendon drove a dozen miles southeast to Samson, in Geneva County, where he opened fire at a relative’s porch, killing three relatives and two others before shooting another relative next door. After, he drove around the town shooting out his car window, killing three more people seemingly at random, authorities said. One woman was struck down as she walked out of a gas station. Another man was hit while driving. A man was shot in the back as he tried to run away. Greg McCullough, a contractor who lives in the town, said he was pumping fuel at the gas station when the gunman roared into the parking lot and slammed on his brakes. “I first thought it was somebody playing,“ McCullough said. Then he saw the rifle. As police pursued him, McLendon drove 12 miles farther east and stopped at the Reliable Metal Products plant where he worked until 2003. He got out of his car and fired at police with his automatic weapon, wounding Geneva Police Chief Frankie Lindsey, authorities said. He then walked inside and killed himself. Once investigators got a look at the ammunition he was carrying, they feared the bloodshed could have been worse. “I’m convinced he went over there to kill more people. He was heavily armed,“ Sutton said. Three of the people struck on the porch were the wife and two daughters of Dep. Josh Myers, who was one of the law enforcement officers involved in the chase for McLendon. His family, who lived across the street from the gunman’s relatives, was visiting the home when the gunfire erupted. Only one of the children, a 4-month old-girl, survived, and was set to undergo surgery at a hospital in Pensacola, Fla. for a wound to the leg caused by either a bullet or shrapnel. “I cried so much yesterday, I don’t have a tear left in me,“ said Myers, who did not know McClendon. “I feel like I should be able to walk in the house and my wife would be there, my baby girl climbing on me.“ Authorities said McLendon was either fired or resigned from his job at the metals plant in 2003. It was unclear what kind of work, if any, he had been doing since, said Alabama Public Safety spokesman Kevin Cook. A person who answered the phone at the plant said no one could talk about the shooting. Samson Mayor Clay King said he had known McLendon all his life and could not say what triggered the shootings. “If you would have asked me two days ago if he was capable of this, I would have said certainly not,“ King said on NBC’s “Today” early Wednesday. Word of the shootings spread quickly through Samson, a rural town of about only 2,000 people. The local hospital’s staff was readied to treat the victims, but their hopes were dashed as death reports trickled in. “Unfortunately, we were getting the same bad reports as everyone else: Most people were untreatable,“ said John Rainey, a local government administrator. “Our nursing staff broke down in tears hearing what was going on and realizing they weren’t going to be able to help them.“ One of the spots sprayed with bullets was a hardware store in Samson. Yellow tape was strung across glass windows shattered by at least five bullets. A “closed” sign was on the ground outside atop glass shards. Tommy Boyles, a 76-year-old security guard who works at the same plant where McLendon killed himself, said he and his wife were on the street nearby when McLendon passed. They feared they could have been one of his victims. “We could have been caught up in it just as well as anyone else,“ he said. “That’s what scares you: to be an innocent bystander and some nut walks up with a gun.“ Lynn Childs, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center in Montgomery, said the slayings were the most victims killed by one gunman in Alabama since the organization started keeping such records in 1978. Six members of a farm family in Rutlege were killed by a gunman in 2002. At that time, veteran law enforcement authorities said they did not recall any worse massacre in Alabama dating back decades. —- Associated Press Writers Garry Mitchell in Mobile, Bob Johnson in Montgomery and Anna Varela in Atlanta contributed to this report. ——— 10:35 a.m. By JESSICA GRESKO and DESIREE HUNTER Associated Press Writer SAMSON, Ala. (AP) - Authorities were working Wednesday to learn why a gunman set off on a rampage, killing 10 people across two rural Alabama counties. Grieving residents feared the answers could have been lost when he ended the terror by killing himself. The shooting was believed to be the worst mass killing by a single gunman in Alabama’s history. The gunman’s mother, four other relatives and the wife and child of a local sheriff’s deputy were among the dead. “He cleaned his family out,“ Coffee County Coroner Robert Preachers said. “We don’t know what triggered it.“ The shootings happened Tuesday afternoon in a mostly rural area near the Florida border, and were believed to be the work of Michael McLendon, a man in his 20s who lived with his mother and once worked at a local metal plant. The spree began around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when McLendon burned down his mother’s house in Kinston. Coffee County Sheriff Dave Sutton said McClendon put his mother, Lisa McLendon, on an L-shaped couch, pilled stuff on top of her and set her afire. He said McClendon also shot four dogs at the house. Then, McLendon drove a dozen miles southeast to Samson, in Geneva County, where he opened fire at a relative’s porch, killing three relatives and two others before shooting another relative next door. After, he drove around the town shooting out his car window, killing three more people seemingly at random, authorities said. One woman was struck down as she walked out of a gas station. Another man was hit while driving. A man was shot in the back as he tried to run away. Greg McCullough, a contractor who lives in the town, said he was pumping fuel at the gas station when the gunman roared into the parking lot and slammed on his brakes. “I first thought it was somebody playing,“ McCullough said. Then he saw the rifle. As police pursued him, McLendon drove 12 miles farther east and stopped at the Reliable Metal Products plant where he worked until 2003. He got out of his car and fired at police with his automatic weapon, wounding Geneva Police Chief Frankie Lindsey, authorities said. He then walked inside and killed himself. Once investigators got a look at the ammunition he was carrying, they feared the bloodshed could have been worse. “I’m convinced he went over there to kill more people. He was heavily armed,“ Sutton said. Three of the people struck on the porch were the wife and two daughters of Dep. Josh Myers, who was one of the law enforcement officers involved in the chase for McLendon. His family, who lived across the street from the gunman’s relatives, was visiting the home when the gunfire erupted. Only one of the children, a 4-month old-girl, survived, and was set to undergo surgery at a hospital in Pensacola, Fla. for a wound to the leg caused by either a bullet or shrapnel. “I cried so much yesterday, I don’t have a tear left in me,“ said Myers, who did not know McClendon. “I feel like I should be able to walk in the house and my wife would be there, my baby girl climbing on me.“ Authorities said McLendon was either fired or resigned from his job at the metals plant in 2003. It was unclear what kind of work, if any, he had been doing since, said Alabama Public Safety spokesman Kevin Cook. A person who answered the phone at the plant said no one could talk about the shooting. Samson Mayor Clay King said he had known McLendon all his life and could not say what triggered the shootings. “If you would have asked me two days ago if he was capable of this, I would have said certainly not,“ King said on NBC’s “Today” early Wednesday. Word of the shootings spread quickly through Samson, a rural town of about only 2,000 people. The local hospital’s staff was readied to treat the victims, but their hopes were dashed as death reports trickled in. “Unfortunately, we were getting the same bad reports as everyone else: Most people were untreatable,“ said John Rainey, a local government administrator. “Our nursing staff broke down in tears hearing what was going on and realizing they weren’t going to be able to help them.“ One of the spots sprayed with bullets was a hardware store in Samson. Yellow tape was strung across glass windows shattered by at least five bullets. A “closed” sign was on the ground outside atop glass shards. Tommy Boyles, a 76-year-old security guard who works at the same plant where McLendon killed himself, said he and his wife were on the street nearby when McLendon passed. They feared they could have been one of his victims. “We could have been caught up in it just as well as anyone else,“ he said. “That’s what scares you: to be an innocent bystander and some nut walks up with a gun.“ Lynn Childs, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center in Montgomery, said the slayings were the most victims killed by one gunman in Alabama since the organization started keeping such records in 1978. Six members of a farm family in Rutlege were killed by a gunman in 2002. At that time, veteran law enforcement authorities said they did not recall any worse massacre in Alabama dating back decades. —- Associated Press Writers Garry Mitchell in Mobile, Bob Johnson in Montgomery and Anna Varela in Atlanta contributed to this report. ———- 7:14 a.m. SAMSON, Ala. (AP) - Authorities in Alabama say a gunman burned down his mother’s home with her still inside, killed four relatives on a porch and then targeted strangers before killing himself. Authorities say Michael McLendon left nine bodies scattered across two rural counties near the Alabama-Florida border. The victims not related to the shooter include the wife of a sheriff’s deputy and his 18-month-old daughter. The rampage ended at the metals plant where McLendon had once worked. He killed himself after a shootout with police. There had recently been layoffs at the plant, but it’s not yet known if McLendon was among those losing their jobs. Authorities found the body of McLendon’s mother inside the burned-out home. Authorities have not determined how she died or whether she was a 10th victim of her son’s rampage. —————— 12:00 p.m. (AP) - Alabama authorities say at least 10 people are dead after a gunman shot at least nine people, including family members, apparent strangers and himself. A coroner says the man, who has not been identified, burned down his mother’s home in Kinston, Ala., near the Alabama-Florida state line. Her body has yet to be recovered from the house, which is still burning. It’s unclear if she was also shot. Coffee County coroner Robert Preachers says the man then shot and killed “his granny and granddaddy and aunt and uncle.“ Law enforcement officials are saying four adults and a child were killed at a home in the nearby town of Samson. Two other people, in different homes, were also shot to death. The identities of all the victims have not been released, but Preachers says they include other members of the shooter’s family. After shooting a state trooper’s car seven times, and wounding the trooper with broken glass, the gunman then killed someone at a Samson supply store, and another person at a service station. Police pursued the gunman to a metal products plant in another nearby town where he fired dozens of rounds, one of which struck a police chief saved by a bullet proof vest. The gunman is said to have entered the business, where he took his own life.By APGRESKO and DESIREE HUNTER Associated Press Writers SAMSON, Ala. (AP) , Photo By- Fairfax Digital
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