UK - Twelve killed, 11 injured by cab driver in Cumbria shooting spree, 2 June 2010

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/06/02/uk.england.shootings/index.html?hpt=T2

At least 12 people have been killed and many more injured after a gunman -- believed to be a local taxi driver -- went on a shooting spree through three small towns in the English country of Cumbria Wednesday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37467424/ns/world_news-europe/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100....html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond

25 injuredhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/10214661.stm

Boot, Whitehaven, Egremont, Seascale and Gosforth are Lake District towns with small police forces.

Daily Mail has its usual splashy article with pictures:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rict-shooting-Cabbie-Derrick-Bird-hunted.html

adding my thoughts and prayers for all the victims and their families, friends and communities.

Timeline

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/10216179.stm

article here


from article:

# 12 dead, 25 wounded after horrific shooting spree
# Cab driver suspect Derrick Bird commits suicide in woodland
# Gunman used two weapons during three-hours bloodbath
# Police examining 30 separate crime scenes across Cumbria
# Gunman had rowed with three colleagues last night
# One victim named locally as farmer Gary Purdham

This is a gorgeous part of England:

[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_District[/ame]


(Coincidentally, the book I'm currently reading is set in Barrow-in-Furness, in Cumbria, a city due south of the crime scenes.)
.....
North West Evening Mail:
At least 12 dead and 25 injured by gunman
...
"Detective Chief Superintendent Iain Goulding is now leading a full and thorough investigation to find out exactly what happened and why, and will look into Mr Bird's history, his access to firearms and his motivation for the shootings. It would be wrong of me to speculate at this stage, however, the circumstances of this tragedy and the gravity of it dictates that we have a full investigation and try to understand why someone would want to take so many lives in such a short space of time.
...
"Whilst this was a terrifying and horrific incident, it is by its nature, very unusual - locally, regionally and nationally. Cumbria prides itself on being a safe place to work, play and visit. Cumbria is a tightly knit community covering some of the most beautiful countryside in the land its strength is as much its people as its geography. It remains one of the safest areas of the UK and is very much open for business and tourism despite the tragic circumstances of the last few hours.

"Finally, our thoughts go out to all the family, friends and colleagues of those killed or injured in this tragedy."

http://www.nwemail.co.uk/home/at-least-12-dead-and-25-injured-by-gunman-1.715151?referrerPath=home

The Mail expands (and spices up, of course) its coverage:

13 dead. 25 injured. The terrible toll of a taxi driver's petty row that ended with the words: 'There's going to be a rampage'
Last updated at 1:23 AM on 3rd June 2010

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...aging-Derrick-Bird-turned-weapon-himself.html

Derrick Bird profile: What motivated the Cumbria gunman?
---
Another Whitehaven taxi driver told the Guardian there had been a rise in tension at cab ranks in the town because of an increasing number of drivers and a decreasing number of jobs.

"There are so many new drivers out there and not a lot of jobs. There have been fights over fares, and accusations that some drivers are coming in from Preston and Blackpool to take jobs," he said.

Other theories took in the death of the Bird family lawyer, Kevin Commons, believed to have been shot dead at his home in the village of Frizlington, a few miles outside Whitehaven and close to Bird's cottage in Rowrah.
---
Local newspaper reports show that in 2007 Bird had been attacked by a fare-dodging passenger. He was knocked unconscious and sustained two broken teeth after challenging a teenager who leaped out of his taxi with three friends. The assault left him "nervous and anxious", a subsequent court case heard.
---

and more, at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jun/02/derrick-bird-profile-cumbria-gunman

"His first victim is believed to have been his twin brother David, a lorry driver who lived in a neighbouring village."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...errick-Birds-killing-spree-moment-moment.html


This must be where the mistaken identity began. People were saying he killed his mother, but obviously it was his brother. First he shoots his brother, then the family attorney. Some big happenings must have set him off.

It's just insane. What is happening to people? There are no words.....

United in grief: People of West Cumbria mark the first anniversary of shootings that left 12 dead

Flags flew at half-mast in Whitehaven today on the first anniversary of a shooting spree in which gunman Derrick Bird killed 12 people and then himself.

A two-minute silence was held in the town and throughout West Cumbria in a low-key commemoration of last year's tragedy.

Copeland Borough Council employees and councillors took part in the silence from noon, which the community and other organisations joined in to show their respects.
---

Click to expand...

more at Daily Mail link above