Perpetrator
Michael Kenneth McLendon (1981 - 10 March 2009) was born in southern Alabama to Lisa (White) McLendon and her husband. His parents divorced and he was largely raised by his aunt and maternal uncle, Phyllis and James White, of Samson, Alabama. 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, Lisa White McLendon, at her home in Kinston. This area of southern Alabama has had a depressed economy following the relocation of textile jobs overseas years ago. Michael 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." He had worked at the Reliable Products warehouse in Geneva, where he was asked to leave in 2003. He and his mother had worked at Pilgrim Foods, a poultry plant, and had filed suit with other workers when suspended in 2006.
Most recently he had 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.
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.
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." The Alabama Bureau of Investigation noted that none was among those he killed, but police were trying to determine if he had intended to attack them. He was said to have been depressed about job issues, disapointed that he had failed to qualify for the Marines or police.
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 which he wanted. He said that he and his mother had "suffered enough." McLendon was described as long familiar with guns. The investigators "found dozens of ammunition boxes, military and survival gear and medical supplies at McLendon's Kinston home."
McLendon killed 10 people and three dogs, and wounded six persons during the shooting spree before killing himself.
Read more about this topic: Geneva County Massacre
Famous quotes containing the word perpetrator:
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—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)