Wednesday, June 2, 2010

TWELVE people gunned down by rampaging cabbie, 52, who then turns weapon on himself


Police stand near the covered body of a person shot dead by a gunman in Whitehaven, Cumbria, today.

Police tonight revealed that 12 people had been shot by a cab driver who went on a bloody rampage in the Lake District before turning the gun on himself.
Derrick Bird, a divorced father-of-two, was discovered in woodland near Boot, Cumbria, by police.
At a press conference tonight, detectives finally laid out the the full extent of his deadly killing spree. Another 25 people are wounded, three critically.
Police are working at 30 crime scenes across the Lake District. They now believe that Bird, who witnesses described rampaging through the area drenched in blood, used two weapons.
Detective Chief Constable Stuart Hyde said: 'This has shocked the people of Cumbria and around the country to the core. It was terrifying and horrific.

Police near the hamlet of Boot, Cumbria. Officers are investigating 30 crime scenes .
He said investigators were unable to understand the motivation for the crimes as the inquiry was at such an early stage.
'We will look into Mr Bird's history, his access to firearms and his motivation for the shootings,' he added.
'It would be wrong to speculate at this stage the circumstances of this tragedy, and the gravity of it dictates that we have a full and comprehensive investigation and try to understand why someone would want to take so many lives in such a short space of time.'
Witnesses today described horrific scenes as the cab driver shot his victims in the head at point blank range and gunned down others at random through the shattered windscreen of his car.
It is understood he deliberately targeted three of his colleagues after arguing with them last night.
Bird began his murderous spree early this morning after driving to the taxi rank at the centre of the picturesque town of Whitehaven.
He is understood to have got out of his car to deliberately target the other cabbies, shooting at least one in the head at close quarters. The grandfather then returned to his vehicle to make his escape.
It as at that point that he began firing indiscriminately through the smashed windscreen as he careered through the town.
Terrified pedestrians were forced to dash for cover as he sprayed the streets with bullets. Others holed themselves up in shops, pubs and houses.
Bird then tore through the area in his Citroen Picasso. As he drove, he continued firing. There were fatalities in Egremont, Seascale and near Gosforth.
In the last location, Bird shot a young farmer, named locally as Garry Purdham, in a field where he was working with his uncle.
He is described as a father-of-two in his 30s.
The killer eventually abandoned his car in woodland near Boot before turning the gun on himself. The bloodbath took less than three hours and left four towns devastated
Local landlord Rod Davies said: 'The guy flipped for whatever reason. Whether it was pre-meditated, we don't know.
Victim: Father-of-two Gary Purdham was shot dead in a field at Gosforth Hill as he worked with his uncle.
The man, who did not want to be named, claimed an argument broke out between Bird and the other three men last night at the Duke Street taxi rank.
He said: 'All of the taxi drivers were friends. But I heard last night there was an argument on the taxi rank.
'I don't know what caused it, but something must have happened last night. Bird took off in his car and went home. I don't know what time of night it was.'
Cumbria police said eight people remained in hospital, three were critical and five were seriously injured.
A retired father of two was also among the victims of the gunman in Seascale, his family confirmed tonight.
Michael Pike, 64, was killed while cycling in the village where he lived with his wife, Sheena, and son, Jason, 39.
Jason Pike said: 'We understand that he was shot dead while out cycling which he did most mornings to keep fit.
'He was a much-loved husband, father and grandfather. He was a happy man at the time he died and satisfied with the things he achieved.'
The grandfather of three had previously been an active trade union organiser at Sellafield.
His son added: 'It came completely out of the blue to us. It was totally unexpected. To the best of our knowledge we think this was a random murder.
'We are well aware my father was not the only person who died today and we feel for all the other people who lost loved ones.'
Another of the victims was named tonight as Jane Robinson, 66, of Seascale, Cumbria.
Unmarried Miss Robinson was shot in Drigg Road just yards from the home she shared with her twin sister Barrie.
According to eye witnesses, Bird beckoned her to the car before shooting her dead.
This evening, people were struggling to come to terms with what had happened.
A favourite haunt of holidaymakers, the Lake District is one of the most beautiful parts of the country with one of the smallest police forces.
A neighbour of the man believed to have been shot dead in Egremont said he was a 'quiet man', who would walk into the town several times every day.
Tracy Maudling said: 'For him to lose his life like that is terrible. He'd been retired for maybe the last five years or something and he just enjoyed doing his garden.
'It's just horrible. We all go up the street every day, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.'
A neighbour of the farmer killed near Gosforth said she had thought the shots were her son shooting crows.
It was some time before she released what had actually happened.
Today David Cameron pledged to do everything possible to help communities 'shattered' by the killing spree.
Updating the Commons at the start of Prime Minister's Questions, he said: 'The Chief Constable of Cumbria is working closely with other forces and other emergency services to ensure a coordinated response to these rapidly moving events.
Crime scene: A police officer stands near a blanket covering a body near the village of Gosforth
Police officers stand in a wooded area in Boot, where Derrick Bird is believed to have killed himself .
Horror: Another victim lies on a footpath in the village of Egremont near Whitehaven

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