Tuesday’s rampage is deadliest in Alabama history

Michael McLendon’s shooting spree that left 11 dead, including the gunman, and six injured has made an unwanted mark on Alabama history as the most prolific mass murder ever in the state.

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“There’s been multiple homicides before, but no rampage shooting like this, not to this magnitude or to this scope,” said Maj. Jerry Conner, chief of the Alabama Bureau of Investigation.

According to the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center, the 10 victims in Tuesday’s rampage were four more than the closest similar spree.

“I can tell you that yesterday is the largest number of victims in a single incident since our agency has been collecting this data and reporting to the FBI, which we started doing in 1978,” said Lynn Childs, public information officer for the center. “The last (highest) incident was in 2002 in Crenshaw County, when there were six victims.”

The killer in that incident, Westley Devon Harris, fatally shot his girlfriend’s parents, grandmother and three teenage brothers on Aug. 26, 2002 at their home in Rutledge.

Circuit Judge Ed McFerrin sentenced Harris to death for the killings in 2005.

In a statement to police, Harris claimed to have been under the influence of drugs at the time of the murders. He also claimed he thought the victims had been sexually abusing his young daughter.

While no motive has been revealed for McLendon’s murders, the Alabama Department of Public Safety said Wednesday night that recent developments could direct them to one.

The magnitude of Tuesday’s events is not lost on those close to the crimes.

“I’ve been here 30 years, and this is the worst thing that’s ever happened to this community,” said Geneva County Sheriff Greg Ward.

Josh McDaniels, who witnessed a shootout between McLendon and Geneva police, said it will be difficult to forget the images.

“I’ve never seen this kind of thing happen before,” McDaniels said. “Definitely not in Geneva, Ala.”

Geneva Mayor Wynnton Melton described the rampage as “unreal.”

Glinda Baldwin, who works at the Samson Dollar General, said the shootings have left her numb after discovering one of the slain was her friend and co-worker, James Starling.

“I think this will wake everybody up that something like this can happen,” Baldwin said. “Little Samson. This is not how we wanted to get on the map.”