SAMSON, Ala.  The gunman, wearing a vest loaded with ammunition and carrying four guns, went from town to town, leaving a trail of gruesome crime scenes over 20 miles of rural southern Alabama.

He first killed his mother and the family dogs in Kinston, Ala., the authorities said, then drove 10 miles to Samson, where he shot five members of his extended family, including the uncle who had raised him. Next, his violence became random, as he sprayed bullets at cars, stores and police officers, killing neighbors, a man walking down the street, a woman at a convenience store and a passing motorist, they said.

All told, the gunman, identified as Michael K. McLendon, 28, killed 10 people, in what law enforcement officials called the worst mass shooting in Alabama history, and wounded six before fatally shooting himself.

Image Michael McLendon killed 10 people and wounded 6. Credit... Associated Press

“He never said a word, all the time he was doing this; never said a word,” said Tom Knowles, a neighbor who saw Mr. McLendon pull up in front of his uncle’s house Tuesday afternoon and begin shooting at family members sitting on porch swings.

“He had no look on his face, no look at all,” said Mr. Knowles, 51.

Mr. McLendon’s reign of terror, staggering to the close-knit communities here, lasted about 50 minutes, said Kirke Adams, the district attorney for Geneva and Dale Counties. “Crime scenes littered this city,” he said.

“Obviously, this man had some major problems,” Mr. Adams added. “And this town was made to suffer.”

Gary McAliley, the district attorney for Pike and Coffee Counties, which includes Kinston, said witnesses had seen Mr. McLendon become upset with his family ever since his parents divorced. Recently, he had refused to go to a relative’s funeral, Mr. McAliley said, telling a co-worker that the rest of the family had not been supportive to him and his mother.

He had also aggressively tried to get a family Bible, but recently received a letter from a lawyer representing another family member telling him to back off. “He was excessively upset about that,” Mr. McAliley said.

Image Mr. McLendons reign of terror, staggering to the close-knit communities here, lasted about 50 minutes. Credit... Daron Deen for The New York Times

Mr. McLendon was described by those who knew him as a quiet, shy man who had few friends and stayed out of trouble. He had a lifelong fascination with guns, said Cecil Knowles, a classmate and Tom Knowles’s son, and got his first hunting rifle at age 11. Co-workers called him “doughboy,” Mr. McAliley said.

“Everywhere that he went that he could tote a gun, he would,” Mr. Knowles said. On Tuesday he was armed with a handgun, two assault rifles and a shotgun.

In his house, investigators found survival and military paraphernalia, including bulletproof vests, Mr. McAliley said. And on the dresser in Mr. McLendon’s bedroom they found several lists. One included the names of two dozen employees at Kelley Foods, a sausage maker and food distributor where Mr. McLendon had worked until he quit last week. The list was marked with specific complaints against individuals, like “Reported me for not wearing earplugs,” and “Made me spend four hours clearing out the meat grinder.”

Another law enforcement official cautioned that the list may have been a year old and was not considered a hit list.

Image Mr. McLendon began his rampage at the house where he lived with his mother, Lisa White McLendon, 52. Credit... Daron Dean for The New York Times

A second piece of paper listed the names and addresses of three companies: Kelley; Reliable Products, a metal fabricator where Mr. McLendon worked until 2003; and Pilgrim’s Pride, a meat and egg processing company where his mother worked until she was suspended for an unspecified cause on March 8, Mr. McAliley said. Mr. McLendon’s shooting spree ended at Reliable, where he killed himself, the authorities said.

No one knew why he quit his job at Reliable, where employees said he had a good record.

“He came to work one day and left,” said George Helms, the plant’s human resources manager. “He didn’t have anything to say.”

In 2003, he tried to become a police officer in Samson. He passed the necessary background check but failed basic training. “He didn’t make it past the first day,” said Becky Payne, an assistant to the director of the Alabama Advanced Criminal Justice Academy.

Clay King, the mayor of Samson, said Mr. McLendon had been a well-behaved child.

“I’ve known him most of my life,” he said. “I coached him in Little League baseball.”

Image Andrea Myers and her 18-month-old daughter, Corrine, died. They had been visiting with Mr. McLendons relatives. Credit... Phil Coale/Associated Press

No one considered it unusual that Mr. McLendon collected guns, Mr. King said. “People here hunt a lot,” he said. “They collect a lot of guns. I’ve got probably 30 guns. It’s just kind of a hobby. That part of it wasn’t concerning to me.”

Mr. McLendon was not licensed to carry the automatic weapons but was licensed to carry a pistol, said Chief Frankie Lindsey of the Geneva Police Department.

Mr. McLendon had purchased ammunition for the automatic weapons that morning in Daleville.

He began his rampage at the remote ranch-style house in Coffee County where he lived with his mother, Lisa White McLendon, 52. It appeared he shot her and her dogs, then laid them on and around the couch and soaked them with paint thinner, officials said.

“He put a pile of clothes and stuff on her, then set the clothes on fire,” said Robert Preachers, the county coroner. “I reckon he thought it would make her burn faster.”

Image After killing his mother and her dogs, Michael McLendon started a fire and then used paint thinner an accelerant, officials said. Credit... Dan Anderson/European Pressphoto Agency

From there, Mr. McLendon drove his Mitsubishi Eclipse south to Samson, to the white frame house where neighbors said he had lived for years with his uncle, James A. White, 55, and aunt, Phyllis White. The Whites were on the porch with their daughter, Tracy M. Wise, 34, her son, Dean, 15, and a family that lived across the street: Andrea D. Myers, 31, the wife of a local sheriff’s deputy, and her two children, 4-month-old Ella and 18-month-old Corrine. Mr. McLendon’s great-aunt, Virginia E. White, 74, was in her trailer parked in Mr. White’s side yard.

Moments later, all but Ella and Phyllis White were dead. Mr. McLendon chased Ms. White, who ran through the house, out the back door, and to a neighbor’s, witnesses said. One witness said Ms. White was saved when Mr. McLendon’s gun jammed.

On Wednesday, with law enforcement officials guarding the house, a handful of people came out the front door to inspect the porch, which had been cleansed of blood. The swings were gone. A woman in a pale green housecoat touched a wall, then bowed, leaning her head against it.

After Mr. McLendon sped off, spraying bullets, Cecil Knowles’s wife, Alina, ran to rescue Ella, who was crying and covered in blood. But Mr. McLendon circled the block and returned, the Knowleses said. Ms. Knowles, a certified nursing assistant, and her father-in-law, Tom Knowles, each hid behind a parked car as Mr. McLendon pointed his gun out the window of his car.