Gunman in Alabama slayings was briefly a police officer

GENEVA, Alabama (CNN) — The gunman who authorities said launched a shooting rampage over three south Alabama towns, slaying 10 people in his path before killing himself, was once a police officer in Samson, the small town hit hardest by the deadliest crime in the state’s history.

Authorities identified the shooter, seen in a yearbook photo, as Michael McLendon, 28, of Kinston, Alabama.

Authorities identified the shooter as Michael McLendon, 28, of Kinston, Alabama, in Coffee County. Speaking at several news conferences on Wednesday, authorities also released a detailed timeline of the rampage — which lasted less than an hour — and identified the victims.