UK taxi driver kills 12, wounds 25 in England (1 Viewer)

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

Lucky13

Forum Mascot
47,609
23,731
Aug 21, 2006
In my castle....
15 mins ago,

SEASCALE, England – British police say a taxi driver went on a shooting spree across rural northwestern England, killing 12 people and wounding 25 others before turning the gun on himself.

The rampage in the county of Cumbria is Britain's deadliest mass shooting since 1996 and shocked a country where gun ownership is tightly restricted.

Police Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Hyde says the rampage "has shocked the people of Cumbria and around the country to the core."

Officers found the body of 52-year-old suspect Derrick Bird in woods near the Lake District village of Boot. A gun was found alongside the body.

The shootings took place Wednesday in the town of Whitehaven and nearby Seascale and Egremont, about 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of London.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

LONDON (AP) — A taxi driver described as quiet but friendly went on a shooting spree across a picturesque rural area of northwestern England on Wednesday, killing at least five people and wounding 25 others before apparently turning the gun on himself, officials said.

The rampage, in a region famed for its tranquil beauty, shocked a country where handguns are banned and multiple shootings rare — it was Britain's deadliest mass shooting since 1996.

Officers found a body believed to be that of 52-year-old suspect Derrick Bird in woods near the Lake District village of Boot, Cumbria police said. A gun was found alongside the body.

"I regret to report that a number of people have been shot and that at least five people have died," Prime Minister David Cameron told lawmakers in the House of Commons. "I can confirm that a body of a gunman has been found by police."

Police said that as well as the deaths, 25 people were wounded in shootings in the small town of Whitehaven and nearby Seascale and Egremont, about 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of London.

The BBC reported there had been shootings in 11 locations, not all of them fatal. Witnesses described seeing the gunman driving around shooting out the window of his car.

His victims included a woman on a bicycle, a farmer in his field and at least two fellow taxi drivers.

Barrie Walker, a doctor in Seascale who certified one of the deaths, told the BBC that victims had been shot in the face, apparently with a shotgun.

Witness Alan Hannah told the Whitehaven News that he saw a man with a shotgun in a car near a taxi stand in Whitehaven. Photos showed a body, covered in a sheet, lying in a street in the town.

Local lawmaker Jamie Reed said people in the area — popular with hikers and vacationers — were in shock.

"This kind of thing doesn't happen in our part of the world," he told the BBC. "We have got one of the lowest, if not the lowest, crime rates in the country."

Deadly shootings are rare in Britain, where gun ownership is tightly restricted and handguns are banned.

In 1987, gun enthusiast Michael Ryan killed 16 people in the English town of Hungerford. In 1996, Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children and a teacher at a kindergarten in Dunblane, Scotland.

Glenda Pears, who runs L&G Taxis in Whitehaven. said one of the victims was another taxi driver who was a friend of Bird's.

"They used to stand together having a (laugh) on the rank," she said. "He was friends with everybody and used to stand and joke on Duke Street."

Sue Matthews, who works at A2B Taxis in Whitehaven, said Bird was self-employed, quiet and lived alone.

"I would say he was fairly popular. I would see him once a week out and about. He was known as 'Birdy,'" she said.

"I can't believe he would do that — he was a quiet little fellow."
 
...said Bird was... ...quiet and lived alone...

...he was a quiet little fellow
Hmm
that always seems to be part of the profile... Hungerford, Dunblane...
it doesn't go that far here but both the previous massacres were instigated by loners with social interaction issues

Let's pray the body count doesn't rise, thoughts with the victims and families
 
It seems they're always "quiet", "peaceful", "likeable", or "a real nice guy". Then they go bananas and start shooting.
Only 52 ? Too young to be a Vietnam vet. Condolences to the familys that he destroyed..

Charles
 
I once thought that this was a western thing... but now that the Chinese are a bit more open it appears to be some crack in human psyche. Shooting people, randomly butchering elementary school children, what the hell is going on with people?
 
So sad. My condolences to the families of the victims. But chances are this did not just happen "out of the blue"with no warning signs. I'd bet he had been acting strange, possibly even some fairly obvious warning signs but these were not picked up by family/friends/neighbors....or worse they may have been noticed but nobody felt like it was their business to step in.
Derek
 
Damn!!! Last I heard 5 were killed. Now 12.

If your going to kill yourself, why the need to kill anyone you see first. Just off yourself and be done with it.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back