[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 28, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H4850-H4852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            EXPRESSING SYMPATHY FOR ALABAMA SHOOTING VICTIMS

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 341) expressing heartfelt sympathy for the victims 
and families of the shootings in Geneva and Coffee Counties in Alabama, 
on March 10, 2009.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 341

       Whereas the communities of Geneva and Coffee Counties in 
     Alabama have endured a tragic event in southeast Alabama that 
     resulted in the loss of 10 lives and injuries to several 
     others;
       Whereas, on March 10, 2009, a man fired at members of his 
     family and other innocent bystanders throughout several towns 
     in Geneva and Coffee Counties in Alabama;
       Whereas the result of this shooting spree resulted in the 
     deaths of Bruce Maloy, Lisa McLendon, Andrea Myers, Corrine 
     Gracy Myers, Sonya Smith, James Starling, James White, 
     Virginia White, Dean Wise, and Tracy Wise;
       Whereas State Trooper Mike Gillis, Greg McCullough, Ella 
     Meyers, and Jeffrey Nelson, were wounded as a result of the 
     shootings;
       Whereas the first responders, State Troopers of the Dothan 
     Troopers Post, officers of the Geneva Police Department, 
     officers of the Geneva County Sheriff's Department, and an 
     officer of the Conservation and Natural Resources department 
     pursued and eventually found the gunman deceased; and
       Whereas the grieving and celebration of the lives of those 
     lost in this senseless tragedy will be with the communities 
     of Geneva and Coffee Counties for months and years to come: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) expresses its heartfelt sympathy for the victims and 
     families of the shootings in Geneva and Coffee Counties in 
     Alabama on March 10, 2009; and
       (2) conveys its gratitude to the city and county officials, 
     and all the police, fire, sheriff, and emergency medical 
     teams who responded swiftly to the scene and helped prevent 
     further violence.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
Westmoreland) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government 
Reform, I solemnly join my colleagues in the consideration of House 
Resolution 341, which expresses our heartfelt sympathy for the victims 
and families of the shootings in Geneva and Coffee Counties of Alabama 
on March 10, 2009.
  House Resolution 341 was introduced by our colleague Congressman 
Bobby Bright of Alabama on April 21, 2009, and was considered by and 
reported from the Oversight Committee on April 23, 2009, by voice vote. 
This measure has the support and cosponsorship of 58 Members of 
Congress.
  On March 10, 2009, the people of Geneva and Coffee Counties in 
southeast Alabama suffered senseless shootings that resulted in the 
loss of 10 lives and a number of injuries. On that tragic day, the 
reckless killings began at the shooter's, Michael McLendon, residence 
in Kinston, Alabama, where he killed his own mother and in addition set 
the house on fire. The shooter then drove a dozen miles southeast to 
Samson in Geneva County, where he gunned down six more victims, 
including four members of his own family. The victims of this senseless 
act included James Alford White; Tracy Michelle Wise; Dean James Wise; 
and 74-year-old Virginia E. White, the shooter's own grandmother. Also 
killed were the wife and daughter of local sheriff's deputy Joshua 
Myers, Andrea Myers and Corinne Myers, who was only 18 months old.
  The shooter continued on his rampage, killing three more people. 
These random and innocent victims were James Irvin Starling, Sonja 
Smith, and Bruce Wilson Malloy.
  The rampage ended another 12 miles farther east in Geneva at the 
metals plant where, with a valiant attempt to end the rampage, the 
State troopers of the Dothan Post, the police department, and county 
sheriff's department and an officer of the Conservation and Natural 
Resources Department were among the first to respond and help resolve 
the situation. After a gun battle with police, Mr. McLendon took his 
own life.
  The memory, the pain, and the grief of this reckless killing spree 
will remain with the victims in the communities of Geneva and Coffee, 
Alabama.
  Mr. Speaker, with this bill we have the opportunity to acknowledge 
the lives lost and the courage and resolve of the many law enforcement 
officials and community members that helped end the situation. I would 
like to thank the gentleman from Alabama for introducing and ushering 
through this House such a thoughtful and considerate measure which can 
only express the heartfelt sympathy we all feel on behalf of those 
Americans that were impacted by this tragic event.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I urge my fellow colleagues to support the 
adoption of House Resolution 341.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the passage of this resolution 
recognizing the tragedy that befell the communities of Geneva and 
Coffee Counties, Alabama.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution seeks to take a moment to reflect on the 
impact one man's senseless acts of violence can have on a community, a 
State, and a Nation.
  On the afternoon of March 10, 2009, the worst killing rampage in 
Alabama's history began as a disturbed

[[Page H4851]]

man started his shooting spree in Samson, Alabama. He indiscriminately 
fired at passersby and finally took his own life 12 miles away at a 
manufacturing plant in Geneva, Alabama, where he was once employed.

                              {time}  1245

  Once the terror ended, the gunman had left a trail of death and 
destruction across two counties. Tragically, the lives of Bruce Maloy, 
Lisa McLendon, Andrea Myers, Corrine Gracy Myers, Sonya Smith, James 
Starling, James White, Virginia White, Dean Wise and Tracy Wise were 
taken. Along with the devastating news of the 10 deaths, many others 
were injured, including four State troopers: Mike Gillis, Greg 
McCullough, Ella Meyers and Jeffrey Nelson.
  It is appropriate that we take this opportunity to express our 
support and sympathy for the families and friends of the murder victims 
of this horrible act. In addition, we must take a moment to thank the 
first responders on that day, the Dothan Troopers Post, the Geneva 
Police Department, the Geneva County Sheriff's Department, the 
Conservation Natural Resources Department and the medical professionals 
that all played a role in quelling what could have been an even larger 
massacre.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the chief sponsor of 
this resolution, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bright).
  Mr. BRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 341, which 
expresses heartfelt sympathy for the victims and families of Geneva and 
Coffee Counties in Alabama.
  On Tuesday, March 10, a lone gunman began a rampage in the Town of 
Kinston and continued into Samson and Geneva that would leave 11 dead 
and four injured in southeast Alabama. Without question, it was the 
worst tragedy Alabama has seen in recent memory.
  When I first arrived in Geneva County a day after the shootings, I 
saw a community still in shock. You never think something like this 
could happen to you until tragedy strikes in your own backyard. 
Residents of the Wiregrass were left questioning how one of their own 
could commit such a heinous and violent crime on his family and 
neighbors.
  A community can never fully prepare for events like these, but first 
responders, local citizens and elected officials responded to the 
incident with flying colors. Sympathy for the Wiregrass quickly spread, 
and an outpouring of aid and goodwill poured into Alabama from across 
the country. To my colleagues in the House and to people watching 
across the country, we thank you for your support.
  I was impressed by the courage of the people and the ability for 
everyone to come together and get through this crisis. I truly believe 
Americans will remember the Wiregrass as a place that will do whatever 
it takes to help its fellow citizens. One of our greatest strengths as 
a country is our ability to collectively respond to tragedy and help 
our fellow men and women in their times of need. The response to the 
events of March 10 certainly epitomized the strengths of the American 
spirit.
  After the dust settled, it became clear that the incident could have 
been much worse without quick and decisive action by our local law 
enforcement. Much has been said about the actions of law enforcement 
during and after the shootings, and indeed we cannot thank them enough. 
Without their heroic efforts, the number of casualties could have been 
much worse. It was a reminder of how much we appreciate those who are 
on the front lines protecting and defending us every day. We owe a debt 
of gratitude to our law enforcement officials for what they do to 
protect us each and every day.
  Though it has been nearly 2 months since the tragedy occurred, the 
loss of so many in a small community still weighs heavy on the minds of 
the people in the Wiregrass area. To make problems worse, Geneva and 
Coffee Counties have experienced intense flooding and violent tornadoes 
over the last several weeks, inflicting hundreds of thousands of 
dollars of damage to an already grieving community.
  While the resolution on the floor today can offer little solace to 
the families and friends of those who lost loved ones, I wanted the 
people of Geneva and Coffee Counties to know that my colleagues in 
Washington are thinking about them and offering their sympathy and 
continued support.
  I hope this resolution offers some peace of mind to the families of 
those killed: Bruce Maloy, Lisa McLendon, Andrea Myers, Corrine Gracy 
Myers, Sonya Smith, James Starling, James White, Virginia White, Dean 
Wise and Tracy Wise; and that it provides moral support and 
encouragement to those injured and still recovering: State Trooper Mike 
Gillis, Greg McCollough, Ella Meyers and Jeffrey Nelson.
  And finally, we cannot forget the law enforcement and public 
officials who provided so much support to a community in shock. Their 
actions are truly appreciated and heroic.
  Additionally, I would like to thank the Alabama congressional 
delegation, my colleagues, Representatives Aderholt, Bachus, Bonner, 
Davis, Griffith and Rogers, and the 50 other cosponsors of this 
resolution. The people of southeast Alabama will forever appreciate 
your unwavering support and sympathy for my constituents in the Second 
Congressional District of Alabama.
  I urge passage of House Resolution 341.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, at this point I would like to yield 3 minutes 
to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis).
  Mr. DAVIS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, let me thank my friend of 10 
years, the gentleman from Alabama, Bobby Bright, for introducing this 
resolution and giving the House a chance to vote on it and pass it 
today, and let me pick out just two things to say about this 
unspeakable tragedy, if I can.
  One of the mysteries of human existence is that evil can exist in a 
divinely inspired world. The people who live in south Alabama are some 
of the most humble, God-fearing, patriotic people on the face of this 
Earth. Their God and their faith is an animating principle to them, and 
it is enormously difficult to contemplate how such good people could 
have been visited by such remarkable afternoon horror.
  I am comforted, as I know the people in that community were 
comforted, by all of the expressions of support from around the United 
States of America, by all of the people who came to their aid, by all 
of the people who lent their good wishes.
  The second observation I would make is there is one thing that stood 
out to me beyond the television images. We all saw the television 
images, which were sheer terror. But the next morning I made a phone 
call to one of the chiefs of the police in one of these small 
communities and I asked him if he knew any of the people who had been 
killed or injured. Without missing a beat, he said into the phone, 
``Mr. Davis, I knew them all. I knew them all.'' He went on to say, 
``We are a small town. We go to church together. We play ball together. 
We meet at each other's homes for holidays. We celebrate events 
together. We all know each other.''
  That is the other unique thing about this event, Mr. Speaker, that 
this event ripped such a hole in the soul of a community of people who 
were knit close together. That is the special tragedy.
  My final observation, I want to thank again Bobby Bright from the 
Second District. When I called him the morning after this event, his 
first instinct was to think like the very good mayor that he was until 
he came here. He said, ``I am getting on a plane. I am going back home 
because I want to know if they need anything. I want to know if they 
need help.''
  That is how executives think, that is how this mayor thought, and the 
people of the Second District are very privileged and fortunate to have 
that kind of individual, whose first instinct was ``what can I do?'', 
not just to lend support, but to be of assistance.
  So I extend my condolences to these individuals and to their 
families. May God bless the souls of the lost, and may He mend the 
bodies of those who are left and wounded.

[[Page H4852]]

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman has no further 
speakers, I will yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I simply urge my colleagues to join with 
Congressman Bright and Congressman Davis in support of this measure, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 341.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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