Derrick Bird's victims were gunned down in town centres, in villages and in fields as he fired indiscriminately, writes CAROLINE DAVIES
DERRICK BIRD’S terrifying killing attack began at the Duke Street taxi rank in the coastal town of Whitehaven, where he used to stand and joke with his fellow taxi drivers – including his first victim. It would end more than three hours later, with 12 people dead along a bloody 20-mile trail through west Cumbria.
Victims were gunned down in town centres, in villages and in fields as Bird fired indiscriminately, often from his car window, during his frenzied journey to the copse where he, seemingly, killed himself.
Last night, Bird’s motive was still not clear, although local taxi drivers spoke of a row with colleagues on the rank the previous night.
At 10.30am, the first victim, named locally as Darren Rewcastle, a colleague with whom Bird was often seen “having a craic” on the rank, was standing at his usual place, smoking a cigarette.
“I heard a bang and thought at first it might be the cannon that they fire at the docks, but it was too early,” said Brian Edwards, a 67-year-old joiner who was working on flats above a nearby shop. “There were four shots and I looked round to see the taxi driver on the pavement . . . Then a man carrying a rifle with a large telescopic sight on it ran past, just feet away and fired again.”
The gunman, known as Birdy to his friends and neighbours, is believed to have shot at three colleagues on the taxi rank before jumping into his taxi and driving off.
By 11am he had reached Egremont, and was shooting at random. A local man was gunned down on a bridge. “I looked up and there was a couple of cars on the bridge, so we just thought it had been a collision,” said one woman. But then they saw the body, lying in a pool of blood.
The victim was said to be a quiet retired man who enjoyed gardening and lived on his own.
Barrie Moss, cycling home from Egremont, came across Bird’s taxi parked in the road with the door open. “As I got to the door there was a guy with shorts on, a dumpy-looking guy looking up the hill . . . Then he turned round at stared at me and he just had this absolutely huge sniper rifle,” he told the BBC. Bird, who was 20 feet away, looked at him again.
“Then he scurried into the car and drove off. That’s when I saw behind the car there was a woman lying on the floor, with bags of shopping in her hands.” Witnesses said Bird had got out of the car, walked up to the woman and shot her at point-blank range.
“She was still breathing, but she was unconscious.” He and another man cradled her as they desperately dialled 999. “Five minutes later she just stopped breathing and that was it.”
At nearby Cringlethwaite, Gary Toomey (38) found another victim bleeding on the doorstep of his home. “He said he had dived out of the way of the shot and the man in the car pointed the gun down and shot him again in the back from about six feet away.”
At 12.18pm police confirmed “a number of people” had been injured in a series of shootings. Whitehaven and Egremont were put on alert, people warned to stay indoors until further notice.
Supermarkets, banks, and offices closed. A description of a shaven-headed man driving a silver grey Citroen Picasso car was circulated. Public announcements were made on radio and television.
But by then Bird had killed again in Gosforth. A farmer in his early 30s, named locally as Gary Purdham, was trimming hedges with his uncle, said local residents. As Bird drove past, he wound down a window and simply blasted him.
There followed reports of shootings in Seascale.
John Reeves was loading his car when he heard gunshots. He rushed outside. “I looked at the gatepost and there was a chap who had been shot on his bike . . . He was obviously dead.
“The next thing, a helicopter came down. I thought it was the air ambulance, but it was the police. Then three big police cars came flying past.”
Dr Barrie Walker, Seascale’s GP for more than 30 years, was called to the scene and confirmed the victim was dead.
But there were more attacks to come. Harry Berger, landlord of the Woolpack Inn in Boot, was shot through the window of his vehicle as he drove through the village. He suffered injuries to his arm, according to friend. An elderly woman, said to be in her 70s, was also shot.
By 12.41pm a photograph had been issued of Bird. Appeals on radio and television warned the public to stay indoors.
Police helicopters were drafted in from a neighbouring force as well as the RAF and army. A full-scale manhunt was under way, using tracker dogs.
In the Boot Inn in the hamlet of Boot, the landlord, Seán King, received a call from police. “They thought [the gunman] was heading up this way,” he said.
With a tiny population, Boot, in the scenic valley of Eskdale, attracts hundreds of tourists. Its campsites were full of half-term holidaymakers, fell walkers eager to explore the Lake District, and narrow gauge railway enthusiasts.
Witnesses had seen the gunman crash and then head off into woods.
Police warned: “Derrick Bird has abandoned his car in the Boot area and is now believed to be travelling by foot. Police who are in pursuit of him are urging members of the public in the Boot area to shelter indoors until further notice.
At 1.32pm Bird was still “officially at large”. About 45 staff and customers had crowded into the Boot Inn for safety. Everyone was watching the news, then suddenly a shot shattered the quiet of the room.
“We heard a shot and then about 200 yards to the south of the pub we saw an air ambulance and then ambulances and police cars.” At 1.40pm, police discovered the body of Bird.
TIMELINE HOW EVENTS UNFOLDED
10.35am Emergency services are called to Duke Street in Whitehaven, Cumbria after shots are fired.
Shortly afterwards, officers urge people living in Whitehaven, Egremont and Seascale to stay indoors.
12.18pm Police confirm "a number of people" have been injured in a series of shootings.
12.41pm Officers name the suspect as Derrick Bird (52), from Rowrah, near Frizington, and issue a photograph of him.
1.04pm Radio Cumbria reports that at least four people are feared dead as police reveal that Bird has abandoned his car near Boot and is now believed to be on foot.
1.40pm The body of Bird is found in a wooded area near Boot.
5.25pm Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Hyde says 12 people were killed by Bird and a further 25 were injured. He adds that officers are investigating at 30 separate crime scenes.