Locals grew up in Geneva, shocked by shootings

Geneva County Sheriff Deputy Josh Myers salutes the casket of his wife Andrea Myers and daughter Corrine Myers after the funeral service in Geneva Sunday afternoon.

By: Tiffiny Woo | Eufaula Tribune
Published: March 17, 2009

When a Geneva County man shot and killed 10 people before turning the gun on himself last week, the shockwaves were felt all the way to Eufaula.

Several residents of Eufaula trace their roots back to Geneva County and the small town of Samson, and the shock of seeing such a tragedy occur in their hometown left many reeling.

Last Tuesday, Michael McLendon reportedly shot and killed his mother before setting fire to her residence in Coffee County. The shooting spree began at approximately 4 p.m. in Samson, during which McLendon claimed the lives of nine other individuals before taking his own life at the Reliable Metal Products plant 12 miles away from where the shooting began.

“The first thing that went through my mind when I heard (about the shooting) was that if it can happen there, it can happen here in Eufaula,” said retired Eufaula Police Department lieutenant Jim Reese. Reese is a native of Geneva and still has many friends that reside in the county. His mother is also a resident of Geneva.

Even after 36 years in law enforcement, Reese said the tragedy that occurred in Geneva is something he thought he’d never see.

“It was a shock,” he said. “It’s something you think happens somewhere else. When I lived there the town had a population of 3,000. Now they have about 4,400, so it hasn’t really grown a lot since then.

Read more on this story in the midweek edition of The Tribune avaliable Tuesday, March 17.