SAMSON , Alabama ( CNN ) -- As the crime scene tape starts to come down in this small Southern town , the residents are leaning on one another for comfort and the strength to move on . The shooter , Michael McLedon , killed his mother before killing others . First Baptist Church , a few feet from the neighborhood where Michael McLendon , 28 , opened fire Tuesday , welcomed members of this close community Wednesday night for a prayer service . `` It 's what community is about , is n't it ? Crying together . Holding each other , '' a pastor said . It 's hard for many to believe the shooting rampage could happen in this town of about 2,100 people . Authorities said McLendon went to three towns , slaying 10 people . He started in his hometown of Kinston , killing his mother , before moving on to open fire in Samson and finally Geneva . McLendon was once a police officer in Samson , the small town hit hardest by the deadliest crime in Alabama history , authorities said . His nearly hourlong assault ended at the Reliable Metal Products plant in the last town , 24 miles from where it began and where police said McLendon engaged in a shootout before killing himself inside the building . In the aftermath of the rampage , among those seeking comfort at First Baptist Church was Josh Mathews . He was driving down the street around the time of the shootings . `` Could 've been anyone -- just missed the gunfire , could 've been any of us , '' Mathews said . Watch report from CNN 's Brooke Baldwin » . After the shootings , he found out one of the victims was a friend . It will be hard to move on , he said . But `` you have to . He was like the happiest dude in the world . He would 've wanted us to move on and remember him for who he was . '' High school baseball coach Chris Reid said he knew almost all the victims . `` Everybody knows everybody . Everybody 's always been willing to go out of their way to help people in need around here , no matter what the case may be . It 's just a small town where you consider your friends as family . '' Reid was walking out of the Big-Little convenience store when he stopped to talk to CNN . A little more than 24 hours ago , the gas station was the site of one of killings . Watch deputy talk about his loss » . Reid was at baseball practice when he heard the shots . `` They were one block from us , `` Reid said , adding that while driving , he saw a man killed in the street . iReport.com : On the scene as officials investigate . `` It really has n't set in yet , '' he said . `` It is still kind of a dream where you wait for it to not be real , to be over . But it 's a fact , something we have to go through . '' Inside the church service , Steve Sellers , a visiting pastor , spoke to several hundred in attendance , praying for God to give the community strength . Some sat in the pews and sobbed . `` I want to thank you , Lord , that in the coming days that this community walks through that process of healing , that there is a God who carries them through that valley , '' he said . Sellers also thanked town leaders , medical personnel and local law enforcement while asking the question that 's been on so many minds : `` I do n't know what set a young man off like that , but I , too , want to pray for his family . We also come , knowing Lord , you taught us to forgive those who trespass against us . '' Watch how state copes with `` shock and disbelief '' » . While members of this tight-knit town may never fully understand how McLendon could 've committed this crime , many find comfort in faith and friends . As one pastor put it , `` Thank God for this town . ''
The 2,100 people of Alabama , Samson , cope with aftermath of deadly rampage . CNN welcomes community for Wednesday A little more than 24 hours ago prayer service . High school baseball coach Mathews : `` It really has n't set in yet '' Community members say their tight bonds will pull them through difficult days ahead .