Michael Kenneth McLendon

Michael Kenneth McLendon was born on September 19, 1980, in southern Alabama to Lisa McLendon (née White). His parents divorced when he was young, and much of his upbringing was handled by his maternal aunt and uncle, Phyllis and James White, in Samson, Alabama. Family members later stated that McLendon struggled emotionally following the separation and carried resentment related to family conflicts that persisted into adulthood.

McLendon attended local schools in Coffee and Geneva counties. He was described by teachers and classmates as quiet and reserved, yet academically capable, earning strong grades and graduating from high school in 1999. Despite his academic performance, he struggled to establish a stable career after graduation.

As a young adult, McLendon held a series of short-term jobs, reflecting an unstable work history. He briefly worked with the Samson Police Department but failed to complete training at the Alabama police academy, leaving after approximately one and a half weeks. He later worked at Reliable Building Products in Geneva in 2003 but was asked to leave. McLendon and his mother were also employed at Pilgrim Foods, a poultry processing plant, and were involved in a lawsuit after being suspended in 2006.

In the years leading up to the attack, McLendon lived with his mother in Kinston, Alabama, an economically depressed rural area that had been affected by the decline of textile and manufacturing jobs. His most recent employment was at Kelley Foods, a sausage manufacturing facility in Elba, Alabama, where he served as a team leader and was reportedly well-liked by coworkers. He abruptly quit the job several days before the shootings.

On March 10, 2009, Michael Kenneth McLendon carried out a mass shooting across three communities in southern Alabama particularly in Kinston, Samson, and Geneva.

The attack began at approximately 3:30 p.m. at McLendon’s home in Kinston. There, he shot and killed his mother, Lisa White McLendon (52), as well as the family’s three dogs, shooting each in the head. He then set the interior of the house on fire before leaving the scene.

McLendon drove to Samson, Alabama, where he went to the home of his maternal uncle, James Alford White (55). Sitting on the porch were White; his daughter Tracy Michelle Wise (34); her son Dean James Wise (15); neighbor Andrea Dawn Myers (31); and Myers’ infant daughter Corrine Gracy Myers (18 months). McLendon opened fire, killing all five. Myers’ four-month-old daughter, Ella Myers, survived despite being wounded. McLendon then went next door and shot and killed his grandmother, Virginia E. White (74), inside her residence.

After leaving the family homes, McLendon began shooting randomly from his vehicle as he drove through Samson. He killed Sonya Lolley Smith (43), a gas station attendant, followed by Bruce Wilson Malloy (51), a passing motorist. His final victim was James Irvin Starling (24), whom McLendon shot in the back as Starling attempted to flee. Four additional people were wounded during this phase of the attack.

McLendon then led law enforcement on a 24‑mile pursuit along Highway 52 toward Geneva, Alabama. At one point, officers attempted a PIT maneuver, but McLendon fired back with a rifle, wounding Geneva Police Chief Frankie Lindsey in the arm. He continued firing at vehicles and businesses along the route, including shots directed toward a Walmart and a Piggly Wiggly store.

The pursuit ended at Reliable Building Products in Geneva, where McLendon had previously worked. After engaging in a final shootout with police, he entered the building and committed suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at 4:17 p.m., less than one hour after the first killing.

Investigators determined that McLendon had fired more than 200 rounds during the spree and was armed with a Soviet-made SKS rifle, a Bushmaster rifle, and at least one .38‑caliber handgun. A large quantity of additional ammunition was found in his vehicle, suggesting he intended to continue the attack.

A handwritten letter discovered at his home indicated that McLendon planned to kill himself after murdering his mother. The note cited long-standing family disputes, financial stress, and emotional exhaustion, stating that he and his mother had “suffered enough.” Another list found by investigators named individuals from previous workplaces whom McLendon believed had wronged him, though none of those individuals were targeted during the shooting.