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Post by fretslider on Jun 2, 2010 12:03:13 GMT -5
Twelve people have been killed by a gunman who went on the rampage across Cumbria in north-west England.
Taxi driver Derrick Bird shot dead a colleague in the town of Whitehaven before driving through the countryside apparently targeting people at random. Cumbria Police said they were dealing with 30 different crime scenes. Three people are critically ill in hospital. Mr Bird's body was found in a wooded area in Boot in the Lake District and two weapons have been recovered.
Witnesses said the suspect drove through the Whitehaven with a gun hanging out of his car window, headed south through Gosforth and Seascale before turning inland. A GP in the town of Seascale said he and a colleague had later certified two other people dead.
Dr Barrie Walker said: "The surgery was called and I went out. I've certified one of them dead. My colleague saw another," he said. "At present there are two people dead and one seriously injured in Seascale. I know one of the victims. She was in the street. The second person was on a bicycle and was shot on the bike."
BBC Look North Chief Reporter Chris Stewart said a farmer is also believed to have been killed in the Gosforth area. After the shootings, detectives said 52-year-old Mr Bird drove to the central Lakes in a Citroen Picasso, then abandoned it in the Boot area.
Before the body was discovered people living nearby were urged to stay indoors for their own protection. Helicopters and armed officers from other police forces were brought in to help apprehend the gunman. Soon afterwards, Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Hyde said: "I can confirm that we've found a body in a wooded area near Boot which we believe to be Mr Bird, together with a firearm. "A formal identification will be made later."
The Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in west Cumbria closed its gates as a safety precaution and afternoon shift workers were being told to stay away, though the site has since reopened.
The Whitehaven victim, believed to be a colleague of 52-year-old Mr Bird, was killed at 1035 BST.
Taxi driver Derrick Bird shot dead a colleague in the town of Whitehaven before driving through the countryside apparently targeting people at random. Cumbria Police said they were dealing with 30 different crime scenes. Three people are critically ill in hospital. Mr Bird's body was found in a wooded area in Boot in the Lake District and two weapons have been recovered.
Witnesses said the suspect drove through the Whitehaven with a gun hanging out of his car window, headed south through Gosforth and Seascale before turning inland. A GP in the town of Seascale said he and a colleague had later certified two other people dead.
Dr Barrie Walker said: "The surgery was called and I went out. I've certified one of them dead. My colleague saw another," he said. "At present there are two people dead and one seriously injured in Seascale. I know one of the victims. She was in the street. The second person was on a bicycle and was shot on the bike."
BBC Look North Chief Reporter Chris Stewart said a farmer is also believed to have been killed in the Gosforth area. After the shootings, detectives said 52-year-old Mr Bird drove to the central Lakes in a Citroen Picasso, then abandoned it in the Boot area.
Before the body was discovered people living nearby were urged to stay indoors for their own protection. Helicopters and armed officers from other police forces were brought in to help apprehend the gunman. Soon afterwards, Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Hyde said: "I can confirm that we've found a body in a wooded area near Boot which we believe to be Mr Bird, together with a firearm. "A formal identification will be made later."
The Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in west Cumbria closed its gates as a safety precaution and afternoon shift workers were being told to stay away, though the site has since reopened.
The Whitehaven victim, believed to be a colleague of 52-year-old Mr Bird, was killed at 1035 BST.