Ma Barker

Ma Barker was born on October 8, 1873, in Ash Grove, Missouri. She had four sons: Herman, Lloyd, Arthur and Fred, who, with Alvin Karpis, formed the Barker-Karpis Gang in 1931. That year, Fred and Alvin shot and murdered the sheriff of West Plains, Missouri. This murder started a pattern of crime and thoughtless killing by the gang and Ma Barker became a wanted woman. The gang went on a reckless spree of robberies and shootouts with the police which cemented their reputation as the most vicious criminal gang in America. 

The final shootout between the Barkers and the authorities occurred on January 16, 1935, when the FBI raided a house in Oklawaha, Florida where Ma and Fred were staying. As heavily armed FBI agents surrounded the house, Fred fired a machine gun from an upstairs window. In response, the feds pumped over two thousand rounds into the house. Fred and Ma fought for their lives, shooting back with everything they had. Finally, after four hours, the feds ran out of ammunition and the scene became deathly quiet. A trail of blood led agents to an upstairs bedroom where Ma and Fred were found lying dead, side by side.