Shooter's last victim died trying to stop him

In life, Bruce Maloy stayed out of the spotlight. In death, he became a hero.

Maloy was believed to be the last of Michael McLendon's random victims, shot as he headed home after a day of work at Brooks Peanut Company in Samson.

But police now know Maloy was killed after the 51-year-old Samson resident made a desperate attempt to stop McLendon Tuesday afternoon before the gunman opened fire on the unarmed Maloy, leaving him dead on Alabama Highway 52.

And according to investigators and eyewitnesses, Maloy’s actions saved lives.

“He’s the entire reason I’m alive right now,” said Ashley Knowles, 22.

Knowles was heading to Samson from Hartford when she saw Maloy’s pickup truck heading toward her, racing alongside McLendon’s car.

She screamed as she saw Maloy ramming McLendon’s car, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision.

It wasn’t until later that she realized Maloy was saving her from an even worse fate.

“It looked like he was trying to push (McLendon) off the side of the road. When he saw me coming, he moved back over, because he didn't anybody else to get hurt,” Knowles said. “Right there at my driver door, I had my window down, and I heard it when he crashed right into (McLendon’s) Eclipse. I saw the Eclipse go off the road, and then I just saw dust. I knew he was shooting. If it hadn't been for Mr. Maloy, he could've shot me dead.”

Investigators say Maloy may have witnessed McLendon shoot two people at the Inland Big/Little Store, and he was moved to respond.

Gary Wigginton was downtown at Samson Seed and Feed when he heard a hail of gunfire. Moments later, he saw McLendon's Mitsubishi Eclipse at a traffic light facing east on Highway 52. Maloy was in his 1985 Isuzu Pup heading west. Wigginton said Maloy turned around and began to pursue McLendon before
Wigginton lost sight.

Greg Bowden knew Maloy for 25 years, and he was buying supplies from a downtown parts store that afternoon when Maloy’s pursuit of McLendon began.

“Undoubtedly he saw something that happened, knew that was the guy and took off after him,” Bowden said. “I saw a red car go by, and Bruce was right behind chasing him.”

Witnesses estimate the speed of the chase at 70 mph through the town.

Craig Harrison was standing by the roadside with a customer at his store when he saw his former employee, Maloy, drive by at an uncharacteristically high speed.

“Me and a customer were going outside, and we heard shots,” Harrison said. “There came the shooter’s car, and Bruce's truck was not two car lengths behind him. When they passed, I told the customer something had happened, because that boy never drove fast. He took his time. You could tell Bruce was pursuing him.”

Just a few moments later, Harrison heard two more shots, then saw the chase continue across the nearby railroad tracks.

Soon after Knowles encountered the two men in the midst of their chase, Maloy’s attempt at stopping McLendon came to an end.

Based on evidence collected at the crime scene, Alabama Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Tim Rodgers said it appears McLendon was able to pull ahead of Maloy, stop, exit the car and wait on Maloy. Skid marks indicate Maloy locked his breaks, then slammed into the back of McLendon's car. McLendon fired at least four rounds into the vehicle, then continued toward Geneva.

By the time he reached Geneva, however, police had set up a roadblock, and other nearby agencies were en route.

“What Mr. Maloy did was slow the shooter down enough that law enforcement could get to him before he even got to Geneva, so he had to worry more about police than more civilians,” said Corporal Darrell Smith of the Samson Police Department. “He ran him down on his pickup truck and was enagaging him with his truck, trying to cause the guy to wreck. Unfortunately, it ultimately cost him his life.”

Maloy’s actions may have saved lives in Samson as well.

“If (McLendon) took time to stop at the Big/Little and get out and shoot some people, it's my belief that if Bruce hadn't been chasing him, he'd have taken more time at that sidewalk by the True Value Hardware and more people would have been killed,” Bowden said. “He could've shot people down here or he could've turned off on a side road and killed more folks. I believe Bruce saved a lot of lives.”

Harrison says he wouldn’t be alive today without Maloy’s heroism.

“In my view and the customer who was out there with me, it sure looks like Bruce in pursuing the shooter may have kept him from shooting in our direction,” Harrison said. “There's no telling, between here and the Mexican restaurant and the Subway and Dollar General, what he would have done if he hadn't been preoccupied by a vehicle following him. I wonder if we would've been two more of the victims if Bruce hadn't been pursuing him. That's constantly been a thought running through my mind.”

Those who knew him say Maloy kept mostly to himself, though he always tried to make people laugh.

“He always wanted to be liked. He was a real comedian-type guy,” Harrison said. “He was a good worker and an excellent welder. In school, he was always bullied. Everybody picked on him and made fun of him. That's what makes me admire more about what he was trying to do, because if anybody had a reason not to care, it was probably him.”

According to his friends, Maloy was always willing to lend a helping hand.

“He was an all-around good guy. He'd do anything for anybody,” Bowden said. “He was just that kind of guy.”

Maloy's aunt, Reba Judson, said she was not surprised Maloy tried to stop McLendon.

"It makes me very proud of him. The loss still hurts, because that loss will always be there," Judson said. "But knowing he tried to do something makes your heart swell up inside."

The bystanders who witnessed Maloy’s courage Tuesday afternoon just wish he had survived to hear their gratitude.

“I would tell him thank you,” Knowles said. “I’m alive because of you.”

Maloy will be buried Wednesday at Shady Grove Assembly of God Church Cemetery.

Lance Griffin contributed to this article.