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Twelve people were killed and 25 injured when a taxi driver went on the rampage with a shotgun in the Lake District today before killing himself after a police chase.
Officers put the area in lockdown as 52-year-old Derrick Bird drove around Cumbrian seaside towns and villages firing as he went. Police in helicopters tracked him as he drove for 20 miles.
The nuclear processing plant at Sellafield locked its front gates, trains were ordered to go through stations without stopping and public buildings were closed as police launched a major operation.
Families cowered in supermarkets. Police were dealing with 11 separate shooting incidents across the county which started at 10.30am in Whitehaven. A farmer is believed to have been shot dead at point-blank range in Gosforth several miles east.
The shootings continued in nearby Seascale where three bodies were seen on the ground. Police were then called to Egremont.
Bird, a father of two, abandoned his car and took to countryside on foot in the Lake District. His body was found by officers near the rural village of Boot. He is believed to have shot himself.
Dr Barrie Walker, from a GPs' surgery in Seascale, said: “I had never seen shotgun injuries like this, and people lying on pavements in a quiet village, blood flowing on streets.”
One woman said Bird drove past her with the “gun hanging out of the window”. His windscreen was shattered by one of the shotgun blasts. He drove south through Cumbria firing at people as he went.
Some reports said that he would occasionally stop his car and calmly get out before taking aim at passers-by, killing and injuring people as he went.
There were reports of shootings in Gosforth — where a farmer was shot dead at point-blank range in the face — Egremont and at Seascale where three people are feared to have been killed. A worker at a garage in Gosforth said: “We heard that a woman was walking along when a car drove past and shot her.”
There were other similar stories at locations across the countryside on the edge of the Lake District national park.
The shootings appear to have started when Bird opened fire in Duke Street, Whitehaven.
Local reports said the first victim was fellow taxi driver Darren Rewcastle, who lived in the hamlet of Bank End, five miles from Whitehaven.
A colleague who did not wish to be named said: “We're all really shocked about what's happened.” A taxi company boss said one of her drivers witnessed the aftermath. Glenda Pears, who runs L&G Taxis, said both Mr Bird and the Duke Street victim were self-employed drivers — and friends. She said Mr Bird had been a taxi driver for 23 years. She described him as a “real nice man”. She said: “We just don't know what's happened. The lad that's been killed was friends with him. They used to stand together chatting on the rank.
“He was friends with everybody and used to stand and joke on Duke Street.” She said a taxi driver working for her had to swerve to avoid Mr Bird's car immediately after the first shooting.
She said: “He was driving and she saw the gun. She was hysterical and had to pull over and stop. The gun was hanging out of the window. She's still shaken up because they've not caught him.
“We are just numb at the moment. We just want to know what he's done it for. He's such a nice lad. One of my drivers was talking to him last night. He was just working as normal and was going to go to Tesco to get chicken.” Jack McGuinness, 79, said: “I heard three shots at about 10.35 at the taxi rank which was about 300 yards away.
“They weren't rapid shots, they took their time with a delay between each. It was very loud. Then I heard the police come past and people started phoning each other and the word was to keep indoors. My son was next to the taxi rank at the time and he said the police were telling people to get off the street under cover. He works at Sellafield and he was told not to go to work because they've closed the gates — no one can come in or out.”
Helen Owens, a receptionist at Brockbank Solicitors in Whitehaven, said: “A member of staff said they saw a body covered by a blanket in the road. You could see the person's trainers poking out. Two gunshots were fired. At first we thought it was a car back firing, but the second gunshot followed in a couple of minutes.”
Bird is said to come from Rowrah, near Frizington, a few miles inland from Whitehaven.
Shocked neighbours described Mr Bird as a “quiet” man. Terry Edgar, 63, who owns a used car garage next door to Mr Bird, said he had no idea what would prompt him to carry out such actions.
As police tried to come to terms with the scale of the attacks, police cars and helicopters tracked his movements as he fled south. Bird drove inland and dumped his car in the village of Boot, taking to the countryside on foot before taking his own life.
Reader views (7)
@ Chuck Unsworth, London.
Peter of Croydons comment about the IPCC may be described as 'inane' at this point. However, questions are already being raised as to '..why it took police 3 hours to find and locate the suspect..' and '..why was he allowed to have a gun licence..' These two comments in themselves will almost certainly trigger an enquiry by the IPCC, who will have the luxury of being able to spend months discussing every aspect of the incident in the comfort of their 'ivory tower'. No doubt they will then use their super powers of perfect hindsight to criticise Cumbria police for failing to prevent this tragedy. That is the business of the IPCC who are nothing more than a political pressure group (just look at the background of their leading members) set up by New Labour to undermine the public confidence in the police service.
- paddy, coulsdon uk, 03/06/2010 10:09
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@ Peter, Croydon. Any reason for your opinions at all - apart from inanity, of course?
- Chuck Unsworth, London, 02/06/2010 19:37
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No doubt those hindsight experts at IPCC will investigate and then blame Cumbria police for not intervening on the spurious pretext that Mr Bird had either been spoken to by police during the past 10 years, or that he had 'contact' with police the night before when he apparently argued with other taxi drivers. They will then conclude that Cumbria police are to blame as they should have realised that Mr Bird was going to go on this tragic rampage and taken the 'appropriate' steps to prevent it!!.
- peter, croydon, 02/06/2010 18:08
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Al-Qaeda???!!!
- John, London, 02/06/2010 16:45
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er.....he's dead mr woo.
- martin, chafford 100, 02/06/2010 15:27
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Whenever an appalling event like this occurs, two things are invariably true:
1. The community in which it occurs is always "close-knit".
2. The perpetrator was always a quiet bloke who "kept himself to himself"
Next comes the influx of counsellors to help the community "come to terms" with their loss.
- johnse18, London, 02/06/2010 15:22
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a life sentance must mean that person spending every day of his life in jail there should be no parole and every sentance must be served for every single day and if judges dont want to impose them then sack the old fools .
- mr woo, glasgow scotland, 02/06/2010 15:01
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